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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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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: fall · drill · cue · lie · sharp · kid · wave · row

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. row — a line
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cue — a signal
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. drill — a practice
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kid — child
  10. drill — army training
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fall — to drop
  13. kid — to tease
  14. sharp — clever
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cue — a hint
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cue — for pool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fall — the season
  24. wave — of the sea

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