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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cue — a signal
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cue — a hint
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. branch — a division
  20. foot — a measure
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. chair — a leader
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. foot — the bottom

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