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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: object · cue · net · fall · straw · saw · march · fan

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cue — a hint
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fall — the season
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cue — a signal
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. net — in sport
  14. object — an aim
  15. net — after costs
  16. march — the month
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. cue — for pool
  24. saw — the tool

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