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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 116 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: hide · snap · ball · cue · fall · straw · file · swing

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. swing — in golf
  3. file — a document
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. file — a tool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. swing — to play on
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fall — to drop
  11. snap — to click
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ball — a dance
  16. swing — music
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cue — for pool
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fall — the season
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — a signal
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ball — a round shape

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