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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: key · mate · charge · squash · cue · stem · game · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. squash — the sport
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. cue — for pool
  7. game — a match
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. charge — a price
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cue — a signal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wind — moving air
  20. game — wild animals
  21. charge — in control
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mate — to breed

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