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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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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: roll · wave · pitch · cue · nail · lie · cold · rest

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. lie — to recline
  3. roll — a list
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pitch — completely
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cue — a signal
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cue — a hint
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rest — a break

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