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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. cue — for pool
  7. roll — a cake
  8. cue — a signal
  9. court — for sport
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. shower — rain
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bound — obliged
  14. court — of law
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. row — a line
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rush — hurry
  20. court — of a king
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cue — a hint
  24. row — to paddle

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