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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 116 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: file · squash · band · pop · rush · face · cue · saw

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. face — to confront
  3. cue — a signal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pop — to visit
  9. face — to point toward
  10. saw — the tool
  11. file — a tool
  12. pop — music
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pop — soda
  15. squash — the sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. band — a ring
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cue — for pool
  20. file — a document
  21. rush — hurry
  22. face — part of the head
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rush — to hurry

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