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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cue — a signal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cue — for pool
  5. dip — to sink
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cap — a hat
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. staff — employees
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cap — of ice
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wake — a trail

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