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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pass — a permit
  5. game — a match
  6. toast — bread
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. shower — to wash
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. kid — child
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kid — to tease
  19. current — happening now
  20. cue — for pool
  21. current — electric
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. current — of water
  24. shower — rain

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