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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. spring — of water
  6. game — a match
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. chip — for betting
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. branch — a division
  16. chip — to eat
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cue — for pool
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spring — the season
  23. cue — a hint
  24. straw — dry grass

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