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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. last — to go on
  3. band — a music group
  4. cue — a signal
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cue — for pool
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. band — a ring
  11. last — finally
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. game — a match
  14. current — happening now
  15. game — wild animals
  16. hand — help
  17. board — to get on
  18. current — electric
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bulb — for light
  21. last — final
  22. board — a committee
  23. current — of water
  24. bulb — of a plant

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