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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mark — a trace
  6. chest — of your body
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cue — a hint
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pitch — completely
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. chest — of your body
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chest — a box
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mark — a grade
  24. game — a match

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