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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. band — a music group
  3. cue — a signal
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cue — a hint
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. saw — the tool
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. rule — government
  15. band — a ring
  16. net — in sport
  17. ground — a position
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. rule — a law
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ground — crushed
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. band — a rubber band

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