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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: dip · bark · lean · cue · straw · game · bat · deal

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. cue — a signal
  5. lean — thin
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bark — to shout
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. game — a match
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bat — the animal

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