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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: cue · squash · saw · shower · foot · wind · tear · chair

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cue — for pool
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. saw — the tool
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cue — a hint
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wind — moving air
  18. shower — to wash
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cue — a signal
  24. tear — to rip

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