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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: ruler · wound · rest · straw · mouse · march · stick · cue

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cue — a signal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rest — what's left
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. march — the month
  13. cue — a hint
  14. march — music
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. march — the month
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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