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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cap — a lid
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cap — a hat
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cue — a hint
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rock — music
  17. clip — a video
  18. bay — a part of the sea

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