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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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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: degree · straw · lean · date · lash · game · cue · fork

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. game — a match
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fork — in a road
  5. game — wild animals
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lean — thin
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cue — for pool
  14. degree — from a university
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. cue — a signal
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cue — a hint
  23. degree — temperature
  24. straw — a straw man

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