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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. club — for dancing
  6. content — happy
  7. cue — a signal
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. club — a group
  12. drill — the tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. cue — for pool
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. club — for golf
  20. drill — army training
  21. content — the amount
  22. drill — a practice
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. coach — a trainer

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