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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cue — a signal
  4. pitch — completely
  5. chair — a leader
  6. cue — a hint
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. scale — in music
  9. can — a tin
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. dip — to sink
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. can — to be able to
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. lie — to recline
  24. can — a tin

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