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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cue — a signal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. swing — music
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. row — a line
  12. tear — from crying
  13. present — a gift
  14. craft — a skill
  15. cue — for pool
  16. swing — to play on
  17. tear — from crying
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. present — there
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. swing — in golf
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. craft — boats

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