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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spring — of water
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cue — for pool
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rash — hasty
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rash — a series
  14. fine — all right
  15. spring — the season
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. foot — a measure
  18. game — a match
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wound — an injury

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