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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. track — a song
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stem — to come from
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. clip — a video
  10. stand — to bear
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. track — to keep track
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cue — a hint
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hand — help
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cue — for pool
  23. track — a path
  24. hide — to keep secret

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