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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. club — for golf
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. club — a group
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. deal — to handle
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mate — a friend
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cue — for pool

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