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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cue — for pool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. season — of the year
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. hand — help
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. season — in sport
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. season — to add flavour

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