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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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Word bank
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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: chest · hide · pit · wake · rush · row · cue · mate

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cue — for pool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cue — a hint
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pit — in a race
  14. chest — of your body
  15. row — a line
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. chest — a box
  24. row — a quarrel

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