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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: plane · straw · pound · season · field · saw · cue · pit

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pit — in a race
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cue — a hint
  7. field — a subject
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cue — a signal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. season — of the year
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pound — a weight
  15. field — for sport
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pit — a hole
  19. field — farmland
  20. cue — for pool
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. season — in sport
  24. plane — a 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