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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 120 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: cue · leaves · game · tube · bore · face · cabinet · rash

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cue — a hint
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bore — to drill
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cue — for pool
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — a series
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. game — a match

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