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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. band — a music group
  3. cue — a hint
  4. band — a ring
  5. net — after costs
  6. cue — a signal
  7. net — in sport
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. foot — a measure
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. toast — bread
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. net — for catching
  20. fine — all right
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cue — for pool
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. band — a rubber band

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