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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mug — a face
  5. last — to go on
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. last — finally
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. land — ground
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. land — to come down
  14. mug — a cup
  15. land — a country
  16. branch — a division
  17. rush — hurry
  18. game — a match
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cue — a hint
  22. last — final
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mug — to rob

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