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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 116 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. cue — a signal
  5. face — to confront
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — a group
  8. rule — government
  9. face — to point toward
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. club — for golf
  12. rule — a law
  13. staff — a stick
  14. face — part of the head
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cue — for pool
  17. staff — employees
  18. cue — a hint

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