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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. hand — help
  8. rash — a series
  9. spell — letters
  10. cue — a hint
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rush — hurry
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spell — magic

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