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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 120 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kid — to tease
  7. firm — a company
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cold — an illness
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. kid — child
  15. foot — a measure
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. firm — steady
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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