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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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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: object · straw · tear · wake · cue · bowl · deal · kid

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. object — an aim
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cue — for pool
  6. kid — child
  7. tear — to rip
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. object — to protest
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. tear — from crying
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cue — a hint
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cue — a signal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. deal — an agreement

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