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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chest — a box
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cue — a hint
  14. chest — of your body
  15. branch — a division
  16. mark — a trace
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cue — for pool
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. chest — of your body

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