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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. clip — a video
  4. bound — obliged
  5. clip — for paper
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. dip — to sink
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pitch — completely
  13. lie — to recline
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bound — certain
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. scale — in music
  24. pitch — a sports field

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