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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cue — a hint
  3. snap — to click
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cue — for pool
  6. march — music
  7. cue — a signal
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. march — the month
  15. deal — to handle
  16. kid — child
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stand — to bear
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cold — not warm
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. march — the month

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