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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cue — a signal
  13. scale — size or range
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. scale — in music
  20. perch — the fish
  21. tear — from crying
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

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