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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: pit · shower · straw · lie · cue · present · field · chip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cue — a signal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pit — in a race
  8. present — there
  9. chip — to eat
  10. present — a gift
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pit — a hole
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. lie — to recline
  15. field — for sport
  16. chip — for betting
  17. field — a subject
  18. present — the time now
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. field — farmland
  24. shower — rain

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