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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. band — a music group
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cue — a hint
  5. band — a ring
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. march — the month
  10. lean — thin
  11. march — the month
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. march — music
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lean — to bend
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cue — for pool
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. shower — rain

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