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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cue — a signal
  3. game — a match
  4. cold — not warm
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. game — wild animals
  7. spell — a short time
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. spell — magic
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cue — for pool
  16. spell — letters
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cue — a hint
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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