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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mug — to rob
  4. current — happening now
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cue — a hint
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cell — a phone
  14. roll — a list
  15. cue — for pool
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mug — a cup
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mug — a face

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