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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · mine · cue · kick · present · pitcher · band · scale

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. present — a gift
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. band — a music group
  5. present — there
  6. scale — size or range
  7. band — a ring
  8. present — the time now
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. game — a match
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. scale — in music
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cue — for pool
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cue — a signal
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pitcher — a jug

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