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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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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: present · game · lean · file · stick · content · cue · lash

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. cue — a signal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. present — the time now
  7. content — happy
  8. present — there
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. file — a tool
  15. game — wild animals
  16. content — the amount
  17. cue — for pool
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. present — a gift
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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