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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bat — the animal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cue — for pool
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cue — a signal
  8. drill — the tool
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rule — government
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. drill — army training
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. snap — to click
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. staff — employees
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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