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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 124 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. cue — a hint
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. snap — to click
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cap — a hat
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cap — of ice
  16. lie — to recline
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cell — in biology
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. lie — an untruth

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