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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cue — a signal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cue — for pool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — to protest

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