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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cue — a signal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. land — ground
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bass — the fish
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cue — a hint
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cell — a phone
  15. track — a path
  16. land — to come down
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cue — for pool
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bass — low music
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. land — a country

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