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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. land — to come down
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. land — ground
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rule — government
  12. mug — a face
  13. rule — a law
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mug — to rob
  20. land — a country
  21. snap — to click
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rule — to rule out

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