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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: game · cue · snap · sharp · spell · board · field · dip

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. sharp — clever
  3. field — for sport
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — a signal
  6. snap — to click
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. game — a match
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. field — farmland
  13. cue — for pool
  14. field — a subject
  15. board — a committee
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. spell — a short time
  18. dip — to sink
  19. spell — magic
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. board — to get on
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. spell — letters

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