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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mate — a friend
  3. object — a thing
  4. club — for dancing
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. staff — employees
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bore — to tire
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. staff — employees
  12. fall — to drop
  13. object — an aim
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cue — a hint
  17. club — for golf
  18. fall — the season
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fall — to drop
  21. staff — a stick
  22. club — a group
  23. object — to protest
  24. cue — for pool

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