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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.

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: cue · stick · arm · last · rush · pitcher · cold · roll

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cold — not warm
  12. roll — a cake
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. last — finally
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. last — to go on
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cue — a signal
  22. roll — a list
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. arm — part of the body

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