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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. object — an aim
  3. cue — a signal
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cold — an illness
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. court — of law
  10. object — to protest
  11. cue — a hint
  12. court — of a king
  13. object — a thing
  14. court — for sport
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. fan — a supporter

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