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

Word bank: chair · saw · rash · mark · wind · spell · cue · stick

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cue — for pool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. cue — a hint
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mark — a trace
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cue — a signal
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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