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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cue — a signal
  5. game — wild animals
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cue — for pool
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cue — a hint
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. game — a match
  24. bound — certain

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