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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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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: wind · foot · court · season · firm · ruler · cue · cabinet

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. court — for sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. firm — steady
  5. season — in sport
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. court — of a king
  12. firm — decided
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. foot — a measure
  17. court — of law
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. season — of the year
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cue — for pool
  23. firm — a company
  24. wind — to turn a key

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