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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bound — certain
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. staff — employees
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mark — a grade
  10. tear — to rip
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cue — a hint
  13. staff — employees
  14. cold — an illness
  15. tear — from crying
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mark — a trace
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cold — the Cold War

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