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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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468
Word bank
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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fall — to drop
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mine — for digging
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pass — a permit
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cue — a signal
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. snap — to click
  19. fall — the season
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pass — to succeed

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