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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — an aim
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. land — to come down
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cue — for pool
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. shower — rain
  10. cold — an illness
  11. land — a country
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. season — of the year
  14. cold — not warm
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. cue — a hint
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. shower — to wash
  23. object — to protest
  24. land — ground

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