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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. current — electric
  3. game — wild animals
  4. current — of water
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cue — a hint
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cue — for pool
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. current — happening now
  17. squash — the sport
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bat — the animal
  20. cue — a signal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. squash — to crush

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