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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: cue · bore · rock · net · fall · cold · saw · hide

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. bore — to drill
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fall — to drop
  16. net — for catching
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rock — music
  20. cue — a hint
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cold — an illness
  24. fall — the season

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