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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 · toast · hide · cue · pass · tube · race · foot

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. toast — bread
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. race — humankind
  9. tube — a container
  10. cue — a signal
  11. race — the arms race
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. cue — a hint
  15. tube — the underground
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pass — a permit
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cold — not warm
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. race — a contest

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