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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: temple · ruler · kick · fine · perch · cue · rest · deal

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. fine — all right
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cue — for pool
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rest — a break
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. kick — in football
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. deal — to handle
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rest — what's left
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fine — high quality

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