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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: cue · bat · chair · safe · temple · pass · game · stick

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. pass — a permit
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bat — the animal
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. chair — a leader
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. game — a match
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cue — a hint
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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