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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: pound · cue · kid · last · dip · wake · straw · stick

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. last — final
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kid — child
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wake — a trail
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. last — finally
  23. dip — to sink
  24. last — to go on

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