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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: cue · saw · club · mark · snap · race · straw · trunk

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. snap — to click
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. club — for dancing
  13. cue — for pool
  14. race — the arms race
  15. club — for golf
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. saw — the tool
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — a signal

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