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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pound — a weight
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chair — a leader
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. plane — a 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