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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cue — a signal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. last — finally
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. tear — to rip
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. tear — from crying
  24. last — to go on

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