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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. date — the fruit
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. net — in sport
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. net — after costs
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. cue — a hint
  19. hand — help
  20. mine — for digging
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. net — for catching
  24. jam — in traffic

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