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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chest — of your body
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. field — a subject
  8. cue — a hint
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. chest — a box
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. fall — to drop
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fall — the season
  20. field — for sport
  21. cue — for pool
  22. field — farmland
  23. stand — to bear
  24. trunk — of a tree

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