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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. cue — a signal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. current — of water
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. current — electric
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rest — what's left
  13. current — happening now
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bat — the animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cue — for pool
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rest — a break
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rest — what's left

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