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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. key — in music
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cue — a signal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bear — the animal
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mug — a face
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mug — a cup
  22. key — the most important part
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. squash — the vegetable

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