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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cue — a signal
  4. rest — a break
  5. present — the time now
  6. hand — help
  7. rest — what's left
  8. spell — magic
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rock — music
  11. present — there
  12. club — for golf
  13. cold — an illness
  14. club — a group
  15. spell — letters
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cold — not warm
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cue — for pool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rock — a stone
  24. present — a gift

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