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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. net — after costs
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pit — in a race
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mug — to rob
  11. net — for catching
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cue — a hint
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mug — a face
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. net — in sport
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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