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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: fork · cold · cabinet · dip · cue · club · can · bore

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. can — a tin
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. club — for golf
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. can — to be able to
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fork — in a road
  15. club — a group
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cue — for pool
  20. can — a tin
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cue — a signal

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