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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cue — for pool
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. game — a match
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. clip — to cut
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ball — a dance
  18. clip — a video
  19. capital — a city
  20. cue — a signal
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. capital — money
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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