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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. hand — in cards
  3. squash — the sport
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. mine — for digging
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cue — a signal
  8. hand — help
  9. branch — a division
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. file — a document
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. squash — to crush
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. file — a tool
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mine — an explosive

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