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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. saw — the tool
  4. scale — in music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cell — a phone
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bear — the animal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cell — in a prison

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