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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cue — for pool
  3. last — to go on
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. board — a committee
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. game — a match
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cue — a hint
  15. last — finally
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. cue — a signal
  20. board — to get on
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. sharp — clever

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