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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. last — to go on
  3. mark — a grade
  4. scale — in music
  5. cue — a signal
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mark — a trace
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. shower — rain
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. scale — size or range
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fall — the season
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. last — finally
  20. cue — a hint
  21. shower — to wash
  22. dip — to sink
  23. fall — to drop
  24. last — final

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