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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cue — a signal
  3. shower — rain
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cue — for pool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. scale — size or range
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. scale — in music
  12. lie — to recline
  13. perch — the fish
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cue — a hint
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rash — hasty

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