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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 · staff · date · straw · face · object · charge · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. charge — a price
  5. cue — a signal
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. object — an aim
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cue — for pool
  14. staff — employees
  15. charge — electricity
  16. face — to confront
  17. staff — employees
  18. current — happening now
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cue — a hint
  23. charge — in control
  24. current — electric

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