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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · shower · stick · net · object · lie · court · march

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. court — for sport
  5. march — the month
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. net — for catching
  8. march — the month
  9. shower — rain
  10. object — to protest
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. court — of law
  13. cue — for pool
  14. court — of a king
  15. object — an aim
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. march — music
  18. lie — to recline
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. object — a thing
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cue — a hint
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

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