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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cue — a signal
  4. roll — a list
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. roll — a cake
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cue — a hint
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hand — in cards
  16. board — to get on
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. board — a committee
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. hand — help
  21. game — a match
  22. bank — of a river
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bank — for money

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