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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pit — a hole
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rule — government
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cue — for pool
  8. clip — for paper
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rule — a law
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. cue — a hint
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. cue — a signal
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. clip — a video
  24. pit — in a race

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