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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: object · cap · snap · straw · cue · fall · march · swing

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. object — to protest
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cap — a hat
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cue — for pool
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. swing — to play on
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. march — the month
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. object — a thing
  15. swing — in golf
  16. object — an aim
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cue — a hint
  19. snap — to click
  20. cap — of ice
  21. swing — music
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fall — to drop

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