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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cue — for pool
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pop — to visit
  14. scale — in music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pop — soda
  18. pit — in a race
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. row — a line
  21. pop — music
  22. cold — an illness
  23. scale — size or range
  24. chip — to eat

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