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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. cue — for pool
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cue — a signal
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a cake
  13. season — of the year
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pass — a permit
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. tear — from crying
  20. season — in sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cue — a hint
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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