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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cue — for pool
  4. shower — rain
  5. fork — in a road
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cue — a signal
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cue — a hint
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mine — for digging
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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