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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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wake — a trail
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cold — not warm
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stand — to bear
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bore — to drill
  17. face — to confront
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cold — an illness
  23. face — part of the head
  24. dip — to dunk

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