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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cue — a signal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lean — thin
  10. band — a ring
  11. mate — a friend
  12. band — a music group
  13. lean — to bend
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. spell — letters
  17. cue — for pool
  18. rush — hurry
  19. spell — magic
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. lean — to rest against

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