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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: season · mark · cold · coach · toast · hand · cue · firm

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. hand — help
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mark — a grade
  7. season — in sport
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cue — a signal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cue — for pool
  14. firm — a company
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. firm — steady
  17. toast — bread
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mark — a trace
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cold — an illness
  22. firm — decided
  23. season — of the year
  24. cue — a hint

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