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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 · fan · pitcher · suit · hand · safe · board · swing

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. suit — clothes
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. swing — in golf
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. board — to get on
  13. swing — music
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. hand — help
  16. suit — in cards
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cue — for pool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. board — a committee
  21. cue — a hint
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fan — to cool the air

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