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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. row — to paddle
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. capital — money
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pop — soda
  15. capital — a city
  16. snap — to click
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cold — an illness
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. row — a line
  21. pop — to visit
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pop — 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