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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 120 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
468
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: cue · game · wake · straw · current · stem · pitch · squash

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pitch — completely
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. game — a match
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. current — happening now
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cue — a hint
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. squash — the sport
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. cue — for pool
  16. current — electric
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. squash — to crush
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. stem — to come from
  24. straw — a straw man

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