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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: track · object · cue · rash · bat · pitcher · mine · game

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bat — the animal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. track — a song
  12. game — a match
  13. rash — a series
  14. track — a path
  15. object — a thing
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cue — for pool
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. track — to keep track

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