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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 116 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. current — of water
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wake — a trail
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cue — a signal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. current — happening now
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. current — electric
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rash — a series
  17. hand — help
  18. cue — for pool
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cue — a hint
  21. game — a match
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wake — before a funeral

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