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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. firm — steady
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cue — for pool
  5. clip — for paper
  6. firm — a company
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bat — the animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mug — a face
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fall — the season
  18. drill — a practice
  19. firm — decided
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. mug — to rob
  23. drill — army training
  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