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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. snap — to click
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. court — of law
  7. bound — obliged
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. game — a match
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bear — the animal
  23. perch — the fish
  24. game — wild animals

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