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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. lie — to recline
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. scale — in music
  8. cap — a lid
  9. game — a match
  10. cap — of ice
  11. fall — the season
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cap — a hat
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

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