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

Word bank: fall · cue · straw · drill · key · kid · ground · staff

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cue — for pool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ground — crushed
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. kid — child
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. key — the most important part
  11. staff — employees
  12. ground — the earth
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cue — a signal
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. key — for a lock
  20. drill — the tool
  21. key — in music
  22. cue — a hint
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. ground — a position

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