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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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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 · fine · drill · cue · shower · mouse · kick · lash

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fine — all right
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cue — a signal
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. staff — employees
  9. fine — high quality
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. drill — a practice
  13. shower — rain
  14. cue — for pool
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. drill — army training
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. kick — in football
  21. staff — employees
  22. shower — to wash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. staff — a stick

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