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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cue — a signal
  6. tube — the underground
  7. suit — clothes
  8. tube — a container
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. kid — child
  13. cold — not warm
  14. kid — to tease
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cold — an illness

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