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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cold — an illness
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cue — a hint
  20. rock — music
  21. last — final
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. cue — a signal

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