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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. net — for catching
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cue — a hint
  6. net — after costs
  7. cold — an illness
  8. hand — help
  9. pop — music
  10. cue — for pool
  11. net — in sport
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pop — to visit
  15. mate — to breed
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rest — what's left
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pop — soda
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rest — a break
  24. cue — a signal

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