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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. last — finally
  4. row — a line
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cue — for pool
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cell — a phone
  12. swing — music
  13. rush — hurry
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cell — in biology
  18. swing — to play on
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. foot — a measure
  21. last — final
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. cue — a hint
  24. last — to go on

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