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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. drill — a practice
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. degree — from a university
  11. lean — thin
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. drill — army training
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cue — a signal
  22. drill — the tool
  23. degree — an amount
  24. snap — to click

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