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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. cue — a signal
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. net — for catching
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. game — a match
  7. fine — high quality
  8. net — in sport
  9. fine — all right
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cue — for pool
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. net — after costs
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wake — a trail
  20. game — wild animals
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. game — a kind of play
  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