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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. ball — a dance
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wake — a trail
  5. content — happy
  6. cue — a signal
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. content — the amount
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tube — a container
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cue — for pool
  21. track — a path
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. track — a song

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