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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: hide · lash · mate · fall · sharp · fork · cue · rush

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. mate — a friend
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. cue — a hint
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. fork — in a road
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mate — to breed
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mate — a partner
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rush — to hurry

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