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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: cue · last · stick · face · toast · perch · bore · game

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bore — to drill
  4. last — final
  5. game — a match
  6. perch — the fish
  7. game — wild animals
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. toast — bread
  14. bore — to tire
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. last — finally
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. face — to point toward
  23. cue — a hint
  24. last — to go on

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