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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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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: suit · cue · mark · face · cabinet · kid · fork · shower

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mark — a grade
  3. suit — to fit
  4. suit — clothes
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mark — a trace
  10. kid — to tease
  11. face — to confront
  12. kid — child
  13. shower — rain
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. suit — in cards
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. fork — in a road

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