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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cue — a signal
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. wake — a trail
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. face — to confront
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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