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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. clip — for paper
  7. staff — employees
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. object — an aim
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. clip — a video
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cue — a hint
  17. ground — a position
  18. clip — to cut
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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