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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: cue · rock · cell · kid · firm · roll · stem · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. firm — decided
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — a price
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. kid — to tease
  13. firm — a company
  14. cue — a signal
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. kid — child
  21. firm — steady
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cue — a hint
  24. roll — a list

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