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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bound — certain
  4. hand — help
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bore — to drill
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mark — a grade
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. cue — for pool
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mark — a trace

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