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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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468
Word bank
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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cue — a signal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. charge — electricity
  6. pit — a hole
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. land — ground
  11. cue — a hint
  12. charge — in control
  13. cue — for pool
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. charge — a price
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pit — in a race
  18. land — a country
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. swing — in golf
  21. land — to come down
  22. cold — an illness
  23. swing — music
  24. cold — the Cold War

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