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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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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 · snap · squash · game · drill · pitch · mine · bay

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. squash — the sport
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cue — a signal
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. snap — to click
  17. game — a match
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. cue — a hint
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cue — for pool

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