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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. march — music
  3. cue — for pool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cue — a hint
  11. kick — in football
  12. game — a match
  13. wake — a trail
  14. march — the month
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. firm — steady
  18. game — wild animals
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. march — the month
  21. branch — a division
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. lash — to lash out

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