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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. court — for sport
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. net — after costs
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. court — of law
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mark — a grade
  23. court — of a king
  24. cue — a hint

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