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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cue — for pool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fall — to drop
  11. content — the amount
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bound — tied together
  15. content — happy
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. wake — a trail
  20. fall — the season
  21. bound — certain
  22. pass — a permit
  23. cue — a signal
  24. net — for catching

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