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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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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: straw · deal · plane · ground · suit · lean · cue · degree

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. lean — thin
  6. cue — a signal
  7. ground — the earth
  8. suit — clothes
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. suit — to fit
  11. degree — an amount
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. ground — a position
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cue — for pool
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. ground — crushed
  21. degree — from a university
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. degree — temperature
  24. deal — to handle

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