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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pop — music
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cold — not warm
  14. drill — the tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. drill — army training
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pop — soda
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cold — an illness

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