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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: suit · straw · chest · safe · cue · net · field · game

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — to fit
  3. cue — for pool
  4. suit — clothes
  5. field — for sport
  6. game — a match
  7. chest — of your body
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. field — farmland
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chest — of your body
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. field — a subject
  15. net — in sport
  16. cue — a signal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. chest — a box
  23. cue — a hint
  24. game — wild animals

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