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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: fork · suit · racket · cue · plane · tube · shower · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. shower — to wash
  3. tube — a container
  4. suit — in cards
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. shower — rain
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. fork — in a road
  14. plane — a tool
  15. suit — clothes
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. suit — to fit
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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