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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. track — a path
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pop — soda
  10. wind — moving air
  11. content — the amount
  12. pop — to visit
  13. content — happy
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. track — a song
  18. pop — music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bark — to shout

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