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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. object — an aim
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fork — in a road
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cue — for pool
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. shower — rain
  15. cue — a signal
  16. object — to protest
  17. pit — a hole
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. object — a thing
  21. prune — to trim
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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