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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 · straw · nail · tear · chair · cue · can · snap

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. can — a tin
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cue — a hint
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. snap — to click
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. can — a tin
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cue — for pool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chair — a leader
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cap — a hat
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. chair — a professorship

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