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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.

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: straw · wake · current · field · cue · pitch · tube · arm

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. field — a subject
  4. pitch — completely
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wake — a trail
  10. field — farmland
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. field — for sport
  15. cue — a signal
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. current — of water
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. current — happening now
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. current — electric
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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