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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. toast — bread
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cue — for pool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wake — a trail
  18. cold — the Cold War

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