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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mate — a friend
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mate — to breed
  13. branch — a division
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cue — a signal
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cue — a hint
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rest — a break

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