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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. court — for sport
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. court — of a king
  7. cue — for pool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pitch — completely
  11. degree — from a university
  12. court — of law
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fine — high quality
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. degree — temperature

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