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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: rock · ruler · stick · fall · straw · hand · chip · wave

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. rock — music
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hand — help
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rock — a stone
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. straw — a straw man

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