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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. degree — an amount
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mug — to rob
  21. roll — a list
  22. cue — a signal
  23. mug — a face
  24. wind — moving air

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