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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cue — a signal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. row — to paddle
  8. cue — a hint
  9. mug — a face
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fall — the season
  12. shower — rain
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. row — a line
  17. mug — to rob
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fall — to drop
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cue — for pool
  24. face — to confront

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