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

Word bank: bay · mug · cold · rest · fall · march · net · cue

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. march — music
  3. cue — a hint
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. net — in sport
  7. rest — a break
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. march — the month
  14. fall — the season
  15. net — after costs
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. fall — to drop
  18. net — for catching
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cue — a signal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. march — the month
  24. mug — a face

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