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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — a path
  4. staff — employees
  5. cue — for pool
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. track — a song
  10. snap — to click
  11. tube — the underground
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cue — a signal
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rush — hurry
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cue — a hint
  23. tube — a container
  24. rush — a thrill

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