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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cue — for pool
  5. current — happening now
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. face — to point toward
  8. date — the fruit
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. hand — in cards
  13. current — of water
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. face — part of the head
  20. current — electric
  21. saw — the tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. face — to confront
  24. hand — help

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