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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. last — final
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. board — to get on
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cue — for pool
  12. current — of water
  13. board — a committee
  14. can — a tin
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. current — happening now
  17. last — finally
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. last — to go on
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stem — to come from
  23. current — electric
  24. hand — help

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