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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 116 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 · game · pound · cap · rush · pit · bat · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pound — a weight
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. game — a match
  20. rush — hurry
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pit — a hole

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