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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. drill — army training
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. cue — a hint
  13. drill — a practice
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. drill — the tool
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bat — the animal

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