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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mug — a cup
  5. current — electric
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cue — for pool
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. current — happening now
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. current — of water
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. land — ground
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mug — a face
  20. land — a country
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cue — a signal
  24. land — to come down

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