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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cold — an illness
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. game — a match
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cold — not warm
  10. prune — to trim
  11. staff — employees
  12. cue — a hint
  13. dip — to sink
  14. prune — to trim
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cue — a signal
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wound — an injury
  19. charge — in control
  20. staff — employees
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. staff — a stick
  23. charge — a price
  24. cold — the Cold War

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