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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lean — thin
  3. chip — for betting
  4. craft — a skill
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. chip — to eat
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cue — a hint
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cue — a signal
  15. last — to go on
  16. craft — boats
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. last — final
  21. cue — for pool
  22. prune — to trim
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lean — to rest against

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