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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. cue — for pool
  2. cold — not warm
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. last — final
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rest — a break
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wound — an injury
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. last — finally
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cue — a signal
  21. last — to go on
  22. saw — the tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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