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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rush — hurry
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cue — a signal
  6. staff — a stick
  7. field — for sport
  8. cue — for pool
  9. scale — in music
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bulb — for light
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. game — a match
  16. staff — employees
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cue — a hint
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. staff — employees
  24. rush — a thrill

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