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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: cabinet · straw · spring · date · cue · calf · pitch · row

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cue — a signal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pitch — completely
  7. row — a line
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cue — for pool
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. spring — the season
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. date — the fruit
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cabinet — ministers

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