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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 120 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bound — certain
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. chest — a box
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cue — a signal
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mark — a trace
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mark — a grade
  24. tear — to rip

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