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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: cue · bear · game · patient · pop · fork · snap · jam

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pop — to visit
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pop — music
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — a match
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pop — soda
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. game — wild animals
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. snap — to click

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