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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · mug · tear · cue · fall · bowl

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. present — a gift
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. present — there
  16. tear — from crying
  17. present — the time now
  18. cue — for pool

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