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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. staff — employees
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. cue — for pool
  7. last — finally
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. court — of law
  11. stand — to bear
  12. court — for sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. last — final
  15. cue — a signal
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. court — of a king
  18. pound — a weight
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. last — to go on
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. staff — employees

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