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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 116 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. spring — the season
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. swing — music
  6. chip — for betting
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stand — to bear
  10. swing — in golf
  11. spring — of water
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cue — for pool
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ground — a position
  21. swing — to play on
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cue — a hint

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