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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: stick · cabinet · cold · staff · cue · date · mark · mouse

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. staff — employees
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mark — a trace
  8. staff — employees
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cold — an illness
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cue — a hint
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cold — not warm

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