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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cue — a hint
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hand — help
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. branch — a division
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. hand — in cards
  11. roll — a list
  12. last — finally
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. last — final
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rock — music
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. last — to go on

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