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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cue — a hint
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. face — to confront
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cap — of ice

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