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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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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cue — for pool
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cue — a signal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cell — in biology
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cell — a phone
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. cell — in a prison

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