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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 120 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a dance
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. spell — letters
  8. net — in sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rock — music
  11. snap — to click
  12. net — after costs
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bank — of a river
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bank — for money
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rock — a stone
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bank — for money
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. spell — magic
  24. net — for catching

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