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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. lie — to recline
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. press — a publisher
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cue — a hint
  9. press — to push
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. craft — a skill
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cue — a signal
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chair — a leader
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. press — newspapers
  21. dip — to sink
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. craft — boats

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