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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. kick — in football
  3. content — the amount
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. game — wild animals
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. club — for dancing
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. club — a group
  10. cue — for pool
  11. club — for golf
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. game — a match
  16. season — in sport
  17. content — happy
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. season — of the year
  22. cue — a hint
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. drill — army training

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