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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 120 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. hand — in cards
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cue — a signal
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rule — government
  10. net — in sport
  11. cue — for pool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. vault — a safe
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rule — a law
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. net — for catching
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. hand — help
  23. net — after costs
  24. rule — to rule out

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