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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rock — music
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. board — a committee
  9. rock — a stone
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. cue — for pool
  14. kick — in football
  15. last — to go on
  16. spell — magic
  17. last — final
  18. cue — a hint
  19. last — finally
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fork — in a road
  22. board — to get on
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. board — a flat piece

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