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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cue — a signal
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cue — for pool
  17. roll — a cake
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. roll — a list
  23. cell — in biology
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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