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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rest — a break
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. tube — the underground
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mark — a trace
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. row — a line
  24. mark — a grade

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