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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. court — of a king
  3. file — a tool
  4. court — of law
  5. file — a document
  6. swing — in golf
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. swing — to play on
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cue — a hint
  14. court — for sport
  15. track — a path
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. track — a song
  21. mine — for digging
  22. file — a line of people
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. swing — 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