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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: game · cue · mine · chip · net · shower · wake · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. game — wild animals
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cue — a hint
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — a trail
  15. shower — rain
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. game — a match
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cue — a signal
  21. chip — for betting
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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