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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: bulb · rule · straw · bass · arm · game · cue · wound

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rule — a law
  6. game — a match
  7. rule — government
  8. bass — the fish
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cue — a signal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wound — an injury
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bass — low music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cue — for pool
  24. arm — a part of something

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