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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: fall · kid · face · tube · cell · scale · cue · suit

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. 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. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. cue — a signal
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. suit — in cards
  9. kid — child
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — a container
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cue — for pool
  15. suit — to fit
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cue — a hint
  21. scale — in music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cell — in biology
  24. 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