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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 116 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: cue · wave · game · cabinet · bat · scale · mate · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. scale — in music
  5. pop — soda
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pop — music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. game — a match
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. game — wild animals

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