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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: straw · deal · lean · drill · band · foot · ball · cue

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. ball — a great time
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cue — a hint
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ball — a dance
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. lean — thin
  13. band — a music group
  14. cue — a signal
  15. drill — army training
  16. cue — for pool
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. drill — a practice
  19. foot — a measure
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. band — a ring
  24. straw — dry grass

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