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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. tear — to rip
  4. board — a committee
  5. game — a match
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. swing — in golf
  10. hand — help
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — to play on
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. board — to get on
  15. bass — low music
  16. swing — music
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bass — the fish
  19. hand — in cards
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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