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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. staff — employees
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cue — for pool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. capital — money
  16. cold — an illness
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. staff — employees
  19. capital — a city
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pitch — completely

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