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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. club — for dancing
  3. object — an aim
  4. game — a match
  5. rest — a break
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. board — a committee
  9. toast — bread
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rest — what's left
  12. object — a thing
  13. cue — a hint
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. club — for golf
  16. file — a document
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. file — a tool
  19. object — to protest
  20. board — to get on
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. file — a line of people
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. club — a group

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