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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cue — a signal
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. pop — soda
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bat — the animal
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. can — a tin
  15. cue — for pool
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cue — a hint
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pop — to visit
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wake — a trail
  22. can — a tin
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. pop — music

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