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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cue — for pool
  7. game — a match
  8. content — happy
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cue — a signal
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. game — wild animals
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — a company
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. drill — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. drill — army training
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. content — the amount
  23. firm — steady
  24. saw — the tool

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