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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: game · straw · cue · craft · tear · net · fork · rush

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — in a road
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. craft — a skill
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — after costs
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. craft — boats
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. tear — to rip
  14. net — in sport
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. net — for catching
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rush — hurry
  20. game — a match
  21. cue — for pool
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rush — a thrill

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