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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. craft — a skill
  5. kick — in football
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. fall — to drop
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cue — a signal
  21. fall — the season
  22. craft — boats
  23. wake — a trail
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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