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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 · net · deal · march · bulb · plane · foot · cue

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. net — after costs
  3. march — the month
  4. bulb — for light
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. march — music
  7. cue — for pool
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. deal — to handle
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. foot — a measure
  12. net — for catching
  13. march — the month
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. net — in sport
  17. plane — a tool
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cue — a signal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. deal — an agreement

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