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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. staff — employees
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. cue — for pool
  6. kid — child
  7. rest — what's left
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bound — certain
  10. chair — a leader
  11. kid — to tease
  12. face — to confront
  13. bound — tied together
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wind — moving air
  18. staff — employees
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rest — a break
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rest — what's left

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