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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · swing · cue · present · pass · hand · band · last

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. hand — help
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. last — finally
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cue — for pool
  12. present — a gift
  13. pass — a permit
  14. band — a music group
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. present — the time now
  17. swing — music
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. present — there
  22. last — to go on
  23. band — a ring
  24. last — final

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