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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 120 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. ball — a dance
  4. track — a song
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. track — a path
  8. cold — an illness
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. track — to keep track
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. deal — to handle
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cold — not warm
  18. chip — for betting
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cue — for pool
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cue — a hint

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