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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. last — finally
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. game — a match
  7. present — the time now
  8. mark — a grade
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. last — final
  14. mate — a partner
  15. last — to go on
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cue — a hint
  18. present — there
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mate — a friend
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. present — a gift

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