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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: scale · ground · board · cue · bay · cold

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cold — not warm
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. ground — a position
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cue — for pool
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — a committee
  14. ground — the earth
  15. board — to get on
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. scale — in music
  18. bay — to keep at bay

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