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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. 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. firm — steady
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cue — a hint
  12. hand — in cards
  13. firm — decided
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. hand — help
  16. firm — a company
  17. game — a match
  18. 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