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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: cue · row · mine · stick · bay · track · last · pitch

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. last — to go on
  10. track — a song
  11. last — final
  12. pitch — completely
  13. last — finally
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cue — a hint
  21. track — a path
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cue — a signal

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