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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: object · fork · hide · rule · cue · lean · last · straw

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. object — to protest
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. last — to go on
  5. rule — government
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. lean — thin
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. last — final
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. object — an aim
  17. fork — in a road
  18. lean — to bend
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rule — a law
  22. last — finally
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. object — a thing

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