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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stand — to bear
  7. cue — a signal
  8. land — a country
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stem — to come from
  12. game — wild animals
  13. current — electric
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. current — of water
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. current — happening now
  21. rest — what's left
  22. game — a match
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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