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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: last · wound · cold · rock · leaves · chest · bay · cue

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  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. rock — a stone
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. last — finally
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. last — final
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. last — to go on
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rock — music
  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