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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: lean · toast · wind · cue · drill · cap · season · perch

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. drill — army training
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — a lid
  6. season — in sport
  7. perch — the fish
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. cap — a hat
  10. lean — to bend
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cue — a hint
  14. wind — moving air
  15. toast — bread
  16. drill — the tool
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. lean — thin
  19. wind — moving air
  20. season — of the year
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cue — for pool

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