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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: cue · mug · pound · bulb · cold · game · dip · firm

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mug — a cup
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — steady
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cue — a signal
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. game — a match
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mug — a face
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. firm — a company
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. cold — not warm
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pound — a weight

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