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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 120 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: cue · cap · face · deal · dip · cold · wave · cell

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cue — a hint
  13. face — to confront
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cell — a phone
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. dip — to sink
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cold — an illness

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