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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rash — a series
  4. current — happening now
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rash — hasty
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. land — to come down
  10. face — to point toward
  11. current — electric
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. current — of water
  14. cold — not warm
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cue — a signal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cue — a hint
  24. face — to confront

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