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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 · hide · saw · mug · ball · wave · rush · content

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mug — a face
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mug — to rob
  13. content — the amount
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mug — a cup
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cue — for pool
  23. rush — hurry
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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