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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cue — a signal
  4. present — there
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cue — a hint
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. present — a gift
  20. tube — a container
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bear — the animal
  24. present — the time now

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