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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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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fine — all right
  5. cue — a hint
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pit — a hole
  9. snap — to click
  10. stock — shares
  11. pit — in a race
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — an aim
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cue — for pool
  21. fine — high quality
  22. stock — goods
  23. cue — a signal
  24. object — to protest

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