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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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468
Word bank
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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pass — a permit
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. lie — to recline
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bear — the animal
  24. clip — a video

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