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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: date · cabinet · wake · cold · cue · staff · spell · temple

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cold — an illness
  7. date — the fruit
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. staff — employees
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. spell — magic
  16. wake — a trail
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cabinet — ministers

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