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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cue — a hint
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rest — a break
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rest — what's left
  16. row — a line
  17. wake — a trail
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cue — for pool
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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