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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 120 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: staff · cue · pitcher · lash · mark · drill · fall · kid

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. drill — army training
  10. mark — a trace
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cue — for pool
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cue — a signal
  18. mark — a grade
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fall — the season
  24. lash — to lash out

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