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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cue — for pool
  4. last — to go on
  5. fine — all right
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wind — moving air
  8. object — to protest
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. ball — a dance
  12. object — a thing
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cue — a hint
  16. object — an aim
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. last — finally
  20. fine — high quality
  21. ball — a great time
  22. last — final
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fine — a penalty

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