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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bound — obliged
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bound — certain
  11. game — wild animals
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cue — a signal
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. game — a match
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. roll — a list
  22. cue — for pool
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. game — a kind of play

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