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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cue — a hint
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. season — of the year
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. season — in sport
  10. club — for golf
  11. cold — not warm
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. hand — help
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mark — a grade
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. club — a group
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cue — a signal
  24. club — for dancing

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