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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. suit — clothes
  2. kid — to tease
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. season — of the year
  8. ground — the earth
  9. kid — child
  10. suit — in cards
  11. cue — for pool
  12. season — in sport
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cue — a hint
  18. ground — a position
  19. mate — to breed
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. suit — to fit
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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