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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. cue — for pool
  8. pop — music
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pop — soda
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. drill — army training
  19. shower — rain
  20. pop — to visit
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. drill — a practice

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