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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
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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: pit · clip · lie · net · scale · straw · cue · wake

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. scale — in music
  5. net — in sport
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lie — to recline
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cue — a signal
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. clip — to cut
  15. net — for catching
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cue — for pool
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cue — a hint
  22. clip — a video
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. net — after costs

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