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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. row — to paddle
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. row — a line
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cue — a hint
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. land — ground
  23. cue — for pool
  24. trunk — of a car

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