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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 · spell · fall · board · row · straw · pitch · jam

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. cue — for pool
  5. spell — magic
  6. row — to paddle
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fall — to drop
  10. board — a committee
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. board — to get on
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. spell — a short time
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cue — a hint

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