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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cue — for pool
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. tube — a container
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bulb — for light
  24. chair — to sit on

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