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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cue — for pool
  3. can — a tin
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mug — a face
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cue — a signal
  8. game — a match
  9. clip — a video
  10. mug — a cup
  11. ground — a position
  12. rash — hasty
  13. game — wild animals
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mug — to rob
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cue — a hint
  23. ground — crushed
  24. can — to be able to

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