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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. foot — a measure
  4. suit — clothes
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. hand — help
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. roll — a cake
  12. game — wild animals
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. suit — to fit
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fork — in a road
  18. roll — a list
  19. game — a match
  20. cue — for pool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cue — a hint
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cue — a signal

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