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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bound — obliged
  4. net — in sport
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cold — not warm
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cue — a signal
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. scale — in music
  12. suit — clothes
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. net — after costs
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. shower — rain
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. net — for catching
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. shower — to wash
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. scale — size or range

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