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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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