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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cue — a hint
  7. chest — of your body
  8. track — a path
  9. land — a country
  10. track — a song
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. land — ground
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fork — in a road
  20. chest — a box
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. fan — a supporter

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