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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: cue · last · court · fan · bay · chest · prune · board

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. court — for sport
  3. chest — of your body
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. board — a committee
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. chest — a box
  10. board — to get on
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chest — of your body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bay — a horse colour

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