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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. shower — rain
  7. cue — a hint
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bore — to tire
  15. fine — all right
  16. date — the fruit
  17. tear — to rip
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fine — high quality
  22. tear — from crying
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. tear — from crying

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