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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 124 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: cue · cap · hide · pass · rush · court · arm · perch

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. court — of law
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cap — a hat
  10. court — of a king
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cue — a hint
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. cap — a lid
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. court — for sport
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pass — a permit
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cue — a signal

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