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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: temple · wind · mate · fall · cue · chair · bay · hide

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cue — a signal
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cue — for pool
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mate — a partner
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. fall — the season
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mate — a friend
  16. chair — a leader
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chair — to sit on

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