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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: date · fan · mark · cue · wake · cold · lash · march

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. march — the month
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cue — a signal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cold — an illness
  9. date — the fruit
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cue — for pool
  12. march — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wake — a trail
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cold — not warm
  24. march — the month

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