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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 · fall · bat · cap · last · staff · fine · row

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. last — to go on
  3. cap — a hat
  4. last — finally
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. row — a line
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fine — all right
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fall — the season
  12. cap — of ice
  13. last — final
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. staff — employees
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cap — a lid
  21. fall — to drop
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. cue — a hint
  24. fine — a penalty

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