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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. cue — a signal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. race — humankind
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. file — a tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. file — a document
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. lean — to bend
  13. file — a line of people
  14. race — a contest
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pass — a permit
  18. lean — thin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. race — the arms race
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lie — to recline
  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