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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: coach · calf · last · cue · wake · board · leaves · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. last — final
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wake — a trail
  7. last — to go on
  8. board — a committee
  9. cue — a hint
  10. board — to get on
  11. last — finally
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cue — a signal
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. cue — for pool
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. coach — a trainer

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