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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cue — a signal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. scale — size or range
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. staff — a stick
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cold — an illness
  16. staff — employees
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. staff — employees
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. scale — in music

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