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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. rule — a law
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cue — a hint
  7. stem — to come from
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cap — a lid
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. firm — decided
  14. hand — help
  15. rule — government
  16. cap — of ice
  17. firm — a company
  18. cue — for pool
  19. firm — steady
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. hand — in cards
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. hand — part of the body
  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