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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cue — for pool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wound — an injury
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. current — happening now
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fine — all right
  17. cue — a hint
  18. current — of water
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cue — a signal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wind — moving air
  24. current — electric

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