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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cue — for pool
  7. track — a song
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mine — for digging
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. track — a path
  15. dip — to sink
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. scale — in music
  20. drill — army training
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. chip — for betting
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. scale — for weighing

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