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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cue — for pool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. game — a match
  13. mug — a cup
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mug — to rob
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mug — a face
  20. band — a music group
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. swing — music
  24. band — a ring

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