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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cue — for pool
  3. march — music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. sharp — clever
  7. snap — to click
  8. firm — decided
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cold — an illness
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cue — a signal
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cue — a hint
  22. march — the month
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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