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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cue — for pool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pop — music
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fall — the season
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. clip — for paper
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pop — soda
  15. cue — a signal
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cue — a hint
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. clip — a video

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