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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: tube · date · cue · board · ground · leaves · game · fall

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cue — for pool
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cue — a hint
  10. date — the fruit
  11. board — to get on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tube — a container
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — the earth
  17. game — a match
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. tube — the underground
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fall — the season

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