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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 116 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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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: nail · saw · pitch · cold · shower · stick · cue · bass

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bass — low music
  10. shower — to wash
  11. saw — the tool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pitch — completely
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. shower — rain
  23. cue — a hint
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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