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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cue — a hint
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. clip — for paper
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. clip — to cut
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cue — a signal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. game — wild animals
  16. clip — a video
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bank — of a river
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — a match
  21. bank — for money
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — a trail

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