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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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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: cold · wave · mark · racket · cap · can · cue · pit

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cold — an illness
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cap — a lid
  16. can — a tin
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. can — a tin
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cue — for pool
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cap — of ice

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