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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cold — an illness
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. kid — child
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cue — a signal
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. file — a document
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cold — not warm
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rush — to hurry

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