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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. season — in sport
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mug — a face
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mug — a cup
  8. saw — the tool
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. season — of the year
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. dip — to sink
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mug — to rob
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cue — a signal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. perch — for a bird

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