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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 · foot · chair · cue · bear · bay · jam · shower

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bear — the animal
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bear — the animal
  6. shower — rain
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cue — a signal
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cold — not warm
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. cue — a hint
  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