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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stand — to bear
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. clip — to cut
  6. season — of the year
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. cue — a hint
  10. net — in sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. toast — bread
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. cue — for pool
  16. clip — a video
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. roll — a cake
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. roll — a list
  22. net — for catching
  23. season — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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