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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cue — a signal
  4. hand — help
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cue — a hint
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cue — for pool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pop — soda
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lie — to recline
  22. dip — to sink
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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