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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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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: wind · track · bore · cold · kick · firm · saw · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bore — to drill
  3. track — a song
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. firm — steady
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wind — moving air
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. firm — decided
  18. cue — for pool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bore — to tire
  23. firm — a company
  24. wind — moving air

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