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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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Word bank
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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: hand · cabinet · spring · straw · cue · safe · fork · chip

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. spring — of water
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fork — in a road
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. spring — the season
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cue — for pool
  17. hand — help
  18. chip — for betting
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. chip — to eat
  23. hand — in cards
  24. spring — a coil

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