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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cue — a signal
  5. face — to confront
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kick — in football
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cue — a hint
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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