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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cue — a hint
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. current — of water
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wind — moving air
  14. scale — in music
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. current — electric
  21. scale — size or range
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cue — for pool
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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