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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 116 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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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: lash · cue · wound · race · lie · stick · staff · game

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wound — an injury
  8. race — a contest
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. race — the arms race
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. staff — employees
  13. lie — to recline
  14. game — a match
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. staff — employees
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. race — humankind

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