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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 120 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: stick · swing · rule · snap · court · chip · straw · shower

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. swing — to play on
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rule — government
  9. court — for sport
  10. shower — rain
  11. snap — to click
  12. chip — to eat
  13. court — of a king
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. swing — music
  17. chip — for betting
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. court — of law
  21. rule — a law
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. swing — in golf

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