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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. land — ground
  3. cue — a signal
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cue — for pool
  11. land — to come down
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. mate — a partner
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mate — a friend
  18. land — a country
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. clip — a video
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mate — to breed

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