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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: chair · roll · stick · cue · spell · bass · key · straw

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — letters
  3. bass — the fish
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cue — for pool
  6. key — in music
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. key — the most important part
  9. spell — a short time
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. key — for a lock
  16. spell — magic
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bass — low music
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cue — a signal
  24. roll — a list

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