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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lean — thin
  3. squash — the sport
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cue — a signal
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cue — for pool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rest — a break
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. kid — to tease
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kid — child
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rest — what's left
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. lean — to rest against

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