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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · cabinet · stick · tear · cue · foot

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. saw — the tool
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cue — a signal
  16. foot — a measure
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cabinet — ministers

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