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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: pitcher · cell · bank · cue · fall · straw · rest · chip

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rest — a break
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cell — in biology
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bank — for money
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cell — a phone
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bank — for money
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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