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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. cue — a signal
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. rest — what's left
  4. content — happy
  5. rest — a break
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. capital — a city
  9. hand — in cards
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. fine — all right
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. cue — a hint
  17. hand — help
  18. content — the amount
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fine — high quality
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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