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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rash — a series
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cue — a hint
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cue — a signal
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wake — a trail
  22. dip — to sink
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. straw — dry grass

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