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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mine — for digging
  6. current — electric
  7. band — a music group
  8. current — happening now
  9. band — a ring
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. object — a thing
  18. cue — a signal
  19. current — of water
  20. object — to protest
  21. snap — to click
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. object — an aim

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