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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: cue · foot · face · bass · kick · fall · swing · fork

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. foot — a measure
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. fork — in a road
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fall — to drop
  12. swing — to play on
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fall — the season
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bass — low music
  18. cue — for pool
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. swing — music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bass — the fish

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