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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: racket · mine · bay · kid · straw · cue · cell · lean

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. lean — thin
  3. cell — in biology
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. kid — child
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cue — a signal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cell — a phone
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mine — for digging

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