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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: cap · last · trunk · drill · straw · cue · cell · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. drill — army training
  3. last — finally
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. last — to go on
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. cue — a hint
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cell — a phone
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cue — for pool
  19. drill — the tool
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cap — a lid
  23. last — final
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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