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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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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: rest · last · cabinet · date · bound · cue · pit · kid

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cue — a signal
  3. last — finally
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rest — a break
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bound — obliged
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pit — a hole
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. rest — what's left
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cue — for pool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bound — certain

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