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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 120 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: arm · present · mug · straw · fine · cue · game · hand

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. present — the time now
  5. cue — for pool
  6. hand — help
  7. game — a match
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mug — a cup
  10. hand — in cards
  11. present — there
  12. mug — a face
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mug — to rob
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. present — a gift
  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