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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bank — for money
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cue — for pool
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bank — for money
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cue — a signal
  18. mug — a face
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. chip — for betting

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