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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. net — after costs
  4. track — a path
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. hand — help
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. track — a song
  17. net — in sport
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. net — for catching
  22. cue — for pool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rule — government

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