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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bear — the animal
  4. land — to come down
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bear — the animal
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. land — a country
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ball — a dance
  18. chair — a leader
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. land — ground
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ball — a round shape

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