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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cap — a hat
  5. file — a tool
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. file — a line of people
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spell — magic
  14. present — a gift
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. file — a document
  20. rash — hasty
  21. spell — letters
  22. cap — a lid
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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