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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. object — an aim
  3. court — of a king
  4. cold — not warm
  5. last — to go on
  6. cue — for pool
  7. degree — temperature
  8. object — to protest
  9. wake — a trail
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. object — a thing
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. cold — an illness
  17. last — final
  18. cue — a signal
  19. court — for sport
  20. degree — from a university
  21. court — of law
  22. last — finally
  23. degree — an amount
  24. plane — an aircraft

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