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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cue — for pool
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wake — a trail
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — of a king
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. court — for sport
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. court — of law
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wake — before a funeral

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