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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · track · pitcher · fine · clip · game

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fine — high quality
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fine — all right
  7. clip — a video
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cue — a signal
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cue — a hint
  15. game — a match
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cue — for pool
  18. track — a path

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