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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. branch — a division
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. craft — a skill
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. craft — boats
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. file — a line of people
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. band — a music group
  24. cue — a signal

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