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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: bay · last · scale · rash · content · arm · pass · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. last — final
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cue — for pool
  6. rash — a series
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. last — to go on
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. scale — in music
  17. last — finally
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. arm — part of the body

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