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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. cue — for pool
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. current — of water
  8. bear — the animal
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cold — not warm
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. plane — a tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. squash — to crush
  19. hand — in cards
  20. season — of the year
  21. cue — a hint
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. season — in sport
  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