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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cue — a hint
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. last — to go on
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cue — for pool
  19. kid — child
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. kid — to tease
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. march — music

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