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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: drill · lean · bound · club · field · straw · pit · cue

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cue — a signal
  5. field — for sport
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. field — farmland
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bound — tied together
  10. club — for golf
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cue — a hint
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cue — for pool
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. field — a subject
  22. drill — the tool
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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