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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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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cue — a signal
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. land — to come down
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. land — a country

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