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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. craft — boats
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cue — a signal
  11. last — final
  12. craft — a skill
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cue — for pool
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fall — the season
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bound — certain

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