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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rock — music
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. rock — a stone
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — an aim
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cue — a hint
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. branch — a division
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rash — a series
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. object — to protest
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rash — on the 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