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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. staff — a stick
  6. content — happy
  7. cue — a hint
  8. content — the amount
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. row — to paddle
  11. staff — employees
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cue — for pool
  14. file — a document
  15. staff — employees
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. row — a line
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cue — a signal
  20. craft — a skill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. craft — boats
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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