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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cue — a signal
  6. race — a contest
  7. staff — a stick
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. cue — a hint
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cold — an illness
  16. capital — a city
  17. staff — employees
  18. capital — money
  19. pass — a permit
  20. cold — not warm
  21. staff — employees
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. race — humankind
  24. cold — the Cold War

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