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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: chest · rule · straw · bay · suit · clip · ball · rock

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. chest — a box
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. ball — a dance
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chest — of your body
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rock — music
  18. clip — a video
  19. rule — government
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rule — a law
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. suit — clothes
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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