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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. tear — from crying
  5. firm — decided
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lie — to recline
  9. fall — the season
  10. current — of water
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tear — from crying
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. firm — a company
  16. current — happening now
  17. cue — a signal
  18. firm — steady
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. current — electric
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tear — to rip
  24. lie — an untruth

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