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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. game — a match
  6. file — a document
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. band — a music group
  12. file — a line of people
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bass — low music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pass — a permit
  20. band — a ring
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. file — a tool

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