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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — a list
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. kick — in football
  11. toast — bread
  12. pit — a hole
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cue — for pool
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pit — in a race

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