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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: foot · craft · lie · cue · bulb · game · cold · shower

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. shower — to wash
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. craft — boats
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. foot — a measure
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bulb — for light
  13. game — a match
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bulb — for light
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. craft — a skill
  23. shower — rain
  24. game — wild animals

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