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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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Word bank
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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: prune · cue · bat · staff · chip · cabinet · club · straw

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. club — for dancing
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cue — a hint
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. staff — employees
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. staff — employees
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cue — for pool
  18. club — a group
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bat — the animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. staff — a stick
  24. club — for 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