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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cue — for pool
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. row — a line
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. race — a contest
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bound — tied together
  16. race — the arms race
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. race — humankind
  20. bound — certain
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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