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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. branch — a division
  3. bass — low music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bass — the fish
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. court — for sport
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. court — of a king
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. court — of law
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ruler — for measuring

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