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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mug — to rob
  5. band — a ring
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bank — of a river
  10. season — in sport
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bank — for money
  17. season — of the year
  18. dip — to sink
  19. mug — a cup
  20. band — a music group
  21. bank — for money
  22. shower — rain
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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