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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cold — an illness
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cue — a signal
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. scale — in music
  13. swing — music
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cue — a hint
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bark — to shout
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. scale — size or range
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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