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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cue — a signal
  3. track — a song
  4. cue — a hint
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pitch — completely
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cue — for pool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mug — a face
  13. cold — not warm
  14. track — a path
  15. cold — an illness
  16. band — a music group
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chip — to eat
  21. mug — a cup
  22. track — to keep track
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mug — to rob

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