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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: suit · present · cue · hide · bore · cold · fork · march

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bore — to drill
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. suit — to fit
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cold — an illness
  15. present — there
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — in cards
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cue — a hint
  24. march — the month

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