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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: cue · calf · lash · plane · pit · bat · straw · rest

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cue — a hint
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. cue — a signal
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pit — in a race
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rest — what's left
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bat — in an idiom

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