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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bay · swing · cold · leaves · craft · ball · lean

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. lean — thin
  3. craft — boats
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. lean — to bend
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cue — a signal
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cold — an illness
  17. swing — to play on
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. swing — music
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cue — for pool

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