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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. staff — employees
  3. land — to come down
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. land — a country
  6. hand — help
  7. object — to protest
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kid — child
  14. staff — a stick
  15. object — a thing
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. staff — employees
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kick — in football
  20. cue — a hint
  21. land — ground
  22. object — an aim
  23. cue — for pool
  24. kick — with a leg

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