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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wind — moving air
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cue — a signal
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wind — moving air
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. board — a committee
  24. foot — part of the body

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