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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. 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. trunk — of a tree
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cue — a hint
  7. key — for a lock
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cold — an illness
  11. key — in music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. 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