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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 116 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 I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tear — from crying
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. kid — child
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fall — the season
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fall — to drop
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. current — electric
  22. cue — for pool
  23. kid — to tease
  24. perch — the fish

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