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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. band — a ring
  4. last — final
  5. cold — an illness
  6. last — finally
  7. bear — the animal
  8. last — to go on
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. row — a line
  11. cue — a hint
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bear — the animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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