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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: fine · straw · land · cue · tear · rock · deal · race

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. tear — from crying
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cue — a hint
  11. race — humankind
  12. fine — all right
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. race — a contest
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cue — for pool
  19. land — ground
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rock — music
  24. race — the arms race

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