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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. game — a match
  3. present — the time now
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. game — wild animals
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. sharp — clever
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wound — an injury
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. lie — an untruth

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