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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cue — for pool
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fork — in a road
  7. degree — an amount
  8. suit — to fit
  9. chest — of your body
  10. suit — clothes
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cue — a hint
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chest — a box
  18. suit — in cards
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. degree — temperature
  23. game — a match
  24. coach — a trainer

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