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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cue — a signal
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rock — music
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. cue — a hint
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — from crying
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cue — for pool
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. cold — not warm
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pit — in a race

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