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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: chest · fine · tear · rock · sharp · stick · straw · cue

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cue — for pool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rock — a stone
  5. chest — a box
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. tear — from crying
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. rock — music
  14. tear — to rip
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cue — a signal
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cue — a hint

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