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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: pitcher · hand · bear · rash · mug · season · cue · club

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bear — the animal
  3. season — of the year
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mug — a cup
  8. hand — help
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rash — a series
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. club — a group
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rash — on the skin

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