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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. cue — for pool
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bound — certain
  6. cue — a hint
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. net — after costs
  13. cold — an illness
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bound — obliged
  16. net — for catching
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cue — a signal
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. net — in sport
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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