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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · band · kid · cue · bay · mark

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. band — a ring
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. band — a music group
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kid — child
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. kid — to tease

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