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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. mine — for digging
  4. band — a ring
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cue — for pool
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cue — a hint
  14. content — happy
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. content — the amount
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. row — a line

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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