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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. suit — to fit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. court — for sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. track — a path
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rash — hasty
  15. suit — clothes
  16. degree — temperature
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cue — a signal
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. track — a song
  23. suit — in cards
  24. row — a line

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