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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. face — to confront
  4. file — a tool
  5. suit — in cards
  6. cue — a hint
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lean — to bend
  9. suit — to fit
  10. file — a line of people
  11. face — to point toward
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. file — a document
  14. fall — the season
  15. season — of the year
  16. lean — thin
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. season — in sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. suit — clothes
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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