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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 120 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cue — for pool
  3. drill — army training
  4. squash — the sport
  5. suit — in cards
  6. mug — a face
  7. suit — to fit
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mug — to rob
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. band — a ring
  12. mug — a cup
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fork — in a road
  16. drill — a practice
  17. suit — clothes
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cue — a signal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. drill — the tool
  24. band — a music group

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