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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · rash · coach · cue · last · fan · straw · wave

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. last — finally
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. last — to go on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — a series
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cue — a signal
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. last — final
  23. cold — not warm
  24. wave — with your hand

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