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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. game — a match
  3. lean — thin
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cold — an illness
  6. can — a tin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cue — for pool
  9. sharp — clever
  10. lean — to bend
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cold — not warm
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cue — a hint
  24. fan — a supporter

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