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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rule — a law
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fall — to drop
  8. last — finally
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. rule — government
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. last — to go on
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fall — the season
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bowl — to roll
  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