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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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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: season · pit · cue · straw · nail · fork · date · foot

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cue — a signal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. date — the fruit
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cue — a hint
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cue — for pool
  18. season — in sport
  19. fork — in a road
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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