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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cue — a signal
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rock — a stone
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. last — to go on
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bank — for money
  12. rock — music
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cue — for pool
  17. game — a match
  18. fine — high quality
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. last — finally
  22. cue — a hint
  23. fall — the season
  24. last — final

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