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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. spell — magic
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. spell — letters
  5. fork — in a road
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fall — to drop
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chair — a leader
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fall — the season
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. roll — a cake
  22. fall — to drop
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. chair — to sit on

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