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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · cold · bat · clip · fine · racket · cue · wake

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wake — a trail
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fine — all right
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cue — a signal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. spell — a short time
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. fine — high quality
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cue — a hint
  24. spell — magic

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