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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. plane — a tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. row — a line
  5. game — a match
  6. mate — to breed
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mate — a partner
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mark — a trace
  13. tear — to rip
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mate — a friend
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. cue — a signal
  23. mark — a grade
  24. tear — from crying

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