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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: nail · cue · mark · racket · chip · cold · fork · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cue — a signal
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cue — a hint
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mark — a trace
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. nail — for a hammer

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