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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. suit — in cards
  5. cue — a hint
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fall — to drop
  9. suit — clothes
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wind — moving air
  13. court — of a king
  14. fall — the season
  15. drill — army training
  16. deal — to handle
  17. court — for sport
  18. cue — for pool
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. court — of law
  22. suit — to fit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. drill — the tool

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