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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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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fine — all right
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cue — for pool
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. kick — in football
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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