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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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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — a signal
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. last — final
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. toast — bread
  16. last — finally
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. last — to go on

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