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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 120 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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. cue — a hint
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mug — a cup
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. band — a ring
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. lean — thin
  16. mug — to rob
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lean — to bend
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mug — a face
  23. fall — the season
  24. kick — in football

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