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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: band · sharp · cue · suit · game · fine · roll · saw

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. roll — a cake
  3. game — a match
  4. saw — the tool
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cue — a hint
  9. roll — a list
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — clothes
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cue — for pool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. band — a music group
  19. fine — high quality
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cue — a signal

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