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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. kid — child
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fall — the season
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pop — to visit
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. last — to go on
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. last — finally
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cue — for pool
  23. last — final
  24. perch — the fish

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