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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: last · hide · wind · tube · cell · toast · cue · mate

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. last — to go on
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mate — a partner
  6. tube — the underground
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. last — final
  9. toast — bread
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wind — moving air
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. last — finally
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mate — to breed
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tube — a container
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cell — a phone

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