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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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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 · stick · staff · cue · bound · wind · scale · racket

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. cue — a signal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. staff — employees
  6. scale — size or range
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. scale — in music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bound — obliged
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bound — tied together
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bound — certain
  22. wind — moving air
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. scale — for weighing

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