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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · cue · march · lean · plane · straw · season · pitch

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. march — the month
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. season — in sport
  8. lean — thin
  9. plane — a tool
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. season — of the year
  12. cue — for pool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. march — the month
  15. cue — a signal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. march — music
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cue — a hint
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pitch — completely
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. season — to add flavour

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