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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: kid · rest · kick · bay · suit · cue · cold · saw

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. cue — for pool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cold — not warm
  9. suit — in cards
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. kid — child
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cue — a hint
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. suit — clothes
  24. kick — with a leg

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