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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 120 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: wave · stand · cue · straw · pit · rash · clip · season

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. clip — a video
  4. season — of the year
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stand — to bear
  11. pit — in a race
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. season — in sport
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. clip — for paper

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