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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cue — a hint
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rock — music
  9. cue — for pool
  10. lean — thin
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cue — a signal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ground — the earth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ground — a position
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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