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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: current · pop · cold · cue · sharp · scale · rash · bulb

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. current — happening now
  5. rash — a series
  6. pop — music
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pop — to visit
  11. current — of water
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bulb — for light
  16. current — electric
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. scale — in music
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pop — soda
  21. sharp — clever
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cold — not warm

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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