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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 116 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cue — for pool
  3. track — a song
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kid — to tease
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kid — child
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bass — the fish
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bass — low music
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. face — to confront
  22. pit — a hole
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cue — a signal

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