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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cue — for pool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cue — a signal
  7. face — to confront
  8. hand — help
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. spring — the season
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. kick — in football
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rush — hurry
  22. hand — in cards
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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