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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wind — moving air
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. game — a match
  10. stock — shares
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cue — a signal
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stock — goods
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cue — a hint
  22. can — to be able to
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — in biology

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