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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 116 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: mate · wake · chair · bay · wind · straw · saw · cue

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mate — a friend
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cue — for pool
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. saw — the tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. chair — a leader

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