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

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pit — a hole
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. lie — to recline
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. march — the month
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kick — in football
  15. mine — for digging
  16. march — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. hand — help
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pit — in a race
  23. hand — in cards
  24. march — the month

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