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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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468
Word bank
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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. present — the time now
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wind — moving air
  13. present — a gift
  14. game — a match
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bass — low music
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. present — there
  24. fork — in a road

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