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

Word bank: stick · wound · net · game · hand · cue · wake · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. game — a match
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cue — for pool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. net — for catching
  11. hand — help
  12. wake — a trail
  13. net — in sport
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. season — of the year
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wound — an injury
  20. net — after costs
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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