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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: foot · nail · straw · wind · stick · bat · cue · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. lean — thin
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cue — a signal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wind — moving air
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wind — to turn a key

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