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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. current — of water
  6. file — a document
  7. hand — help
  8. cue — a hint
  9. hand — in cards
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. swing — in golf
  12. chest — of your body
  13. current — electric
  14. bear — the animal
  15. board — a committee
  16. swing — to play on
  17. board — to get on
  18. current — happening now
  19. file — a tool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. file — a line of people
  22. swing — music
  23. cue — a signal
  24. chest — a box

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