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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 120 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. staff — a stick
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. cue — a hint
  8. court — of a king
  9. bat — the animal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. season — of the year
  12. court — for sport
  13. season — in sport
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. court — of law
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. board — to get on
  19. staff — employees
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. board — a committee
  22. staff — employees
  23. cue — a signal
  24. safe — a strongbox

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