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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pitch — completely
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cue — a signal
  5. last — final
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. tube — the underground
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. last — to go on
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. cue — for pool
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. last — finally
  22. tube — a container
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com