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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: jam · cue · safe · cold · root · bound · scale · pitcher

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bound — certain
  3. cold — not warm
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cold — an illness
  7. scale — in music
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bound — obliged
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. root — of a word
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. root — the cause
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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