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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: last · roll · cue · face · cold · calf · ruler · charge

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. charge — a price
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. last — to go on
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. roll — a list
  8. charge — in control
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. roll — a cake
  13. charge — electricity
  14. face — to point toward
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. last — final
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cue — for pool
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. last — finally

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