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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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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: cue · sharp · staff · wound · craft · game · board · snap

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wound — an injury
  3. craft — boats
  4. game — a match
  5. staff — employees
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. staff — employees
  13. wound — an injury
  14. craft — a skill
  15. staff — a stick
  16. snap — to click
  17. cue — a signal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cue — for pool
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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