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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cue — for pool
  3. game — a match
  4. net — after costs
  5. spell — letters
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. hand — in cards
  10. current — electric
  11. cue — a hint
  12. current — happening now
  13. spell — magic
  14. net — for catching
  15. cue — a signal
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pop — music
  19. current — of water
  20. pitch — completely
  21. hand — help
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. game — wild animals

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