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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. kick — in football
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cue — a hint
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. date — the fruit
  16. wake — a trail
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cue — a signal
  23. roll — a cake
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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