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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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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: lash · straw · bass · ruler · wind · cue · bat · fan

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wind — moving air
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cue — a signal
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bass — low music
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. straw — dry grass

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