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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. swing — to play on
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. clip — for paper
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. clip — to cut
  12. sharp — clever
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. dip — to sink
  15. swing — music
  16. clip — a video
  17. cue — for pool
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. staff — employees
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. swing — in golf

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