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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cue — a signal
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. staff — employees
  13. drill — army training
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cue — a hint
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. drill — the tool
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. staff — employees

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