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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mate — to breed
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rest — a break
  8. row — to paddle
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. row — a line
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cue — for pool
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mate — a friend
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cold — not warm

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