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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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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cue — a signal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. game — a match
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cue — a hint
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. game — wild animals
  18. capital — money
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. toast — bread
  22. capital — a city
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cue — for pool

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