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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pop — music
  5. kid — child
  6. row — a line
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — clothes
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cue — a hint
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. row — to paddle
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pop — soda
  18. suit — in cards
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. track — a song
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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