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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cue — a signal
  5. chest — a box
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cue — for pool
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. chest — of your body
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — ground
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. land — to come down
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. rash — a series
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. land — a country

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