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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. spring — of water
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. spring — the season
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cue — a signal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hand — help
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — decided
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. firm — a company
  24. hand — in cards

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