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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · mate · lie · rash · trunk · court · staff · cue

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. staff — employees
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cue — for pool
  15. staff — employees
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mate — a friend
  21. lie — to recline
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rash — a series
  24. court — for sport

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