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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 120 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 · game · board · stock · kid · foot · sharp · swing

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. kid — to tease
  4. swing — in golf
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cue — a hint
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. swing — music
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cue — for pool
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cue — a signal
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. sharp — clever
  21. board — a committee
  22. game — a match
  23. kid — child
  24. board — a flat piece

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