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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cue — for pool
  3. row — a line
  4. net — for catching
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. land — ground
  7. row — to paddle
  8. cue — a signal
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. land — a country
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. net — in sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. net — after costs
  23. cue — a hint
  24. leaves — lets stay

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