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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 124 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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mark — a trace
  4. board — a committee
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cue — a signal
  12. track — a path
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cue — for pool
  15. track — a song
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. track — to keep track
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. cue — a hint
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. squash — to crush

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