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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: pitcher · last · sharp · saw · row · cue · lash · kick

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. row — to paddle
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. last — final
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. row — a line
  20. last — finally
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. sharp — clever
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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