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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. file — a document
  4. ground — a position
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. file — a line of people
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. clip — to cut
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cue — a hint
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. clip — a video
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. clip — for paper
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. file — a tool
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. hide — animal skin

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