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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. swing — to play on
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. swing — music
  13. sharp — clever
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. tube — a container
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cue — for pool
  20. tube — the underground
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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