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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 · cue · kid · suit · tear · nail · spell · mark

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. spell — letters
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cue — a hint
  8. spell — magic
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. present — there
  11. suit — in cards
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. tear — to rip
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. kid — to tease
  17. suit — to fit
  18. mark — a grade
  19. suit — clothes
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. kid — child
  22. spell — a short time
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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