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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: shower · cue · fork · mine · game · fall · bass · squash

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cue — for pool
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fall — the season
  9. shower — rain
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bass — low music
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cue — a hint
  21. game — a match
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. shower — to wash

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