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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 · cabinet · bat · straw · board · shower · trunk · hide

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. shower — to wash
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bat — the animal
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. shower — rain
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cue — a hint
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. trunk — of a tree

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