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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. kid — to tease
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cue — a hint
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. squash — the sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mug — to rob
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. squash — to crush
  17. kid — child
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. game — a match
  20. cue — a signal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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