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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cold — not warm
  7. board — a committee
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cue — a signal

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