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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 · charge · clip · game · current · club · cell · sharp

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. club — a group
  4. game — a match
  5. cell — in biology
  6. club — for golf
  7. cue — a hint
  8. current — electric
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. game — wild animals
  11. club — for dancing
  12. clip — to cut
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. charge — a price
  15. cell — a phone
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cue — for pool
  18. sharp — clever
  19. clip — for paper
  20. current — happening now
  21. clip — a video
  22. current — of water
  23. charge — in control
  24. sharp — exactly

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