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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 no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. file — a tool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bass — low music
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rule — a law
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. file — a document
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rule — government
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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