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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. game — a match
  4. board — to get on
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cold — an illness
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. sharp — clever
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cue — a signal
  23. board — a committee
  24. mouse — for a computer

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