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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.

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: saw · cue · ground · rush · wake · chair · file · stick

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. file — a tool
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ground — crushed
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. file — a document
  13. rush — hurry
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cue — a hint
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. ground — a position
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. chair — a professorship

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