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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. scale — size or range
  3. present — there
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ball — a dance
  9. present — the time now
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. object — to protest
  13. lean — to bend
  14. object — a thing
  15. lean — thin
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cue — a signal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. object — an aim
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. present — a gift
  24. scale — in music

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