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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rock — music
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cue — for pool
  9. track — a path
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. suit — clothes
  15. rock — a stone
  16. suit — to fit
  17. track — a song
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. suit — in cards
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bat — the animal

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