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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: cue · pit · bass · bulb · bore · mate · clip · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cue — a hint
  4. pit — in a race
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bass — low music
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — to breed
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. clip — a video

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