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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. shower — rain
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. fork — in a road
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. kick — in football
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. content — the amount
  16. cap — a lid
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. track — a path
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cap — a hat
  24. content — happy

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