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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. staff — a stick
  4. cue — a hint
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. file — a document
  7. rock — music
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cue — a signal
  13. staff — employees
  14. file — a line of people
  15. staff — employees
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. file — a tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cue — for pool
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. rock — a stone

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