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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 116 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: season · game · bowl · mouse · cue · kid · stick · clip

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. game — a match
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. clip — to cut
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cue — a signal
  10. season — in sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kid — child
  13. cue — a hint
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. kid — to tease
  18. clip — a video
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. game — wild animals
  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