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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
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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: roll · kick · straw · cue · suit · tube · bat · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cue — for pool
  5. roll — a list
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. suit — clothes
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. kick — in football
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. tube — a container
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cue — a signal
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. roll — a cake

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