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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. content — the amount
  3. toast — bread
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. cue — a hint
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. scale — in music
  15. content — happy
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. kid — child
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. scale — size or range
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cue — a signal

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