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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.

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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: date · swing · board · cue · game · patient · firm · pitcher

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. board — to get on
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — steady
  6. date — the fruit
  7. swing — music
  8. board — a committee
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cue — for pool
  13. swing — in golf
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. swing — to play on
  18. firm — a company
  19. cue — a hint
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pitcher — a jug

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