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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.

Make a worksheet

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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chest — a box
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cue — for pool
  5. shower — to wash
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — a signal
  9. shower — rain
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. squash — to crush
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bass — low music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chest — of your body
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bass — the fish
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — a leader
  24. squash — the sport

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