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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. rash — hasty
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cue — a hint
  13. board — a committee
  14. bass — the fish
  15. date — the fruit
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rash — a series
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bass — low music
  21. board — to get on
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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