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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. drill — army training
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. season — of the year
  7. toast — bread
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cue — a hint
  15. season — in sport
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cue — for pool
  19. shower — rain
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. shower — to wash
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. toast — the most admired

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