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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.

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: fine · game · wave · stick · swing · cue · squash · hand

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. swing — in golf
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. hand — help
  8. cue — a hint
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cue — a signal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. swing — music
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cue — for pool
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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