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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: lie · fan · rush · court · cue · calf · band · row

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cue — a signal
  6. row — a line
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rush — hurry
  11. court — of law
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. court — for sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. court — of a king
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. band — a music group
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. band — a ring

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