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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. race — a contest
  3. staff — a stick
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — for pool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. race — humankind
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. staff — employees
  15. chip — for betting
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. spring — the season
  21. staff — employees
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pass — a permit
  24. chip — to eat

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