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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bank — for money
  3. pop — soda
  4. mug — a face
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pop — music
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pop — to visit
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cue — a hint
  14. fall — the season
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — of law
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. fall — to drop
  20. row — a line
  21. court — of a king
  22. row — to paddle
  23. court — for sport
  24. fall — to drop

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