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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 · wax · ball · current · roll · march · cue · fork

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. current — happening now
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. game — a match
  6. cue — for pool
  7. current — electric
  8. game — wild animals
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. current — of water
  11. ball — a dance
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. march — music
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ball — a great time
  16. roll — a cake
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. roll — a list

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