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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bound — obliged
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cue — a hint
  7. key — the most important part
  8. saw — the tool
  9. snap — to click
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cue — for pool
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. track — a song
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. saw — the tool
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bound — certain
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. track — a path

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