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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: cap · straw · cue · game · saw · stem · last · sharp

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. saw — the tool
  3. game — wild animals
  4. last — final
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. last — finally
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cue — for pool
  9. game — a match
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. saw — the tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stem — to come from
  14. sharp — clever
  15. last — to go on
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stem — a stem cell

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