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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
468
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: mine · bat · fork · pitcher · cue · wave · fan · fall

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cue — for pool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. fall — the season
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mine — an explosive

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