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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. perch — the fish
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. kick — in football
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. lean — thin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. key — the most important part
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lean — to bend
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. key — in music
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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