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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: nail · pass · suit · ball · cue · clip · straw · leaves

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. ball — a dance
  5. suit — to fit
  6. ball — a great time
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pass — a permit
  20. cue — a signal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. straw — a straw man
  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