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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · mine · game · cue · band · swing · charge · snap

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. mine — for digging
  3. snap — to click
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. charge — a price
  6. cue — a signal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. charge — in control
  13. band — a ring
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cue — a hint
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. game — a match
  19. swing — to play on
  20. game — wild animals
  21. swing — music
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. charge — electricity
  24. swing — in golf

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