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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: tear · arm · cue · pit · rash · land · straw · coach

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. tear — from crying
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cue — for pool
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rash — hasty
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. tear — to rip
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. land — to come down
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pit — a hole
  17. rash — a series
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. land — ground
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cue — a signal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. land — a country

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