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

Word bank: club · wake · foot · pitcher · cue · dip

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. club — for golf
  5. cue — a signal
  6. club — a group
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. dip — to sink

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