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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. firm — a company
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. squash — to crush
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. field — farmland
  11. cue — a hint
  12. field — for sport
  13. rash — hasty
  14. field — a subject
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. firm — steady
  20. rash — a series
  21. lie — to recline
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rush — hurry
  24. firm — decided

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