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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 120 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: hand · kid · perch · lie · cue · current · mug · last

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. perch — the fish
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mug — to rob
  8. current — happening now
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mug — a face
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. kid — child
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — final
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. hand — help
  18. last — finally
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mug — a cup
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lie — to recline
  24. hand — part of the body

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