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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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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cue — a hint
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. sharp — clever
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bat — the animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wound — an injury
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cap — of ice
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cue — for pool
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cap — a hat

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