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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: court · stand · toast · cue · saw · wound · season · tube

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. court — for sport
  6. cue — a hint
  7. court — of a king
  8. stand — to bear
  9. toast — bread
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. season — of the year
  15. court — of law
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. cue — for pool
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. tube — the underground
  22. saw — the tool
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. tube — a container

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