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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: wave · straw · bat · cue · pit · foot · patient · craft

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. cue — for pool
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. craft — boats
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bat — the animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pit — in a race
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. foot — a measure
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pit — a hole
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  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