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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bank — for money
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bass — the fish
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bank — for money
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mine — for digging
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bass — low music

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