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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 120 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: cabinet · rest · rush · wake · bat · mate · fall · cue

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cue — a signal
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rest — a break
  6. cue — a hint
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mate — to breed
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bat — for baseball

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