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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 I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. shower — to wash
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. branch — a division
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. tube — a container
  11. cue — a hint
  12. key — in music
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. tube — the underground
  15. march — the month
  16. charge — electricity
  17. shower — rain
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — a price
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. cue — for pool

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