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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cue — for pool
  5. firm — a company
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cold — an illness
  8. season — in sport
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cue — a signal
  21. firm — decided
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. fine — all right

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