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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rule — a law
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rule — government
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cell — in biology
  12. spring — of water
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. spring — the season
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cell — a phone
  24. squash — to crush

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