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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 116 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: scale · bowl · straw · snap · ruler · cue · tear · hand

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. scale — size or range
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. hand — help
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cue — a hint
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. snap — to click
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. tear — from crying
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cue — for pool
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. ruler — a monarch
  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