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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. can — a tin
  5. pound — a weight
  6. can — a tin
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cold — an illness
  10. spring — the season
  11. cue — a signal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. scale — in music
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cue — a hint
  18. scale — size or range
  19. cold — not warm
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. spring — of water
  23. coach — a trainer
  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