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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mark — a grade
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wound — an injury
  13. hand — help
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cue — for pool
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cap — a hat
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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