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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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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cue — a hint
  11. track — to keep track
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. track — a path
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — the sport
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. track — a song
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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