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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.

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: land · present · cabinet · saw · ball · pitcher · game · cue

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ball — a great time
  11. present — there
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. saw — the tool
  14. land — to come down
  15. present — the time now
  16. cue — a hint
  17. land — a country
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. land — ground
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cue — for pool
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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