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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cue — for pool
  4. game — wild animals
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rest — what's left
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rest — what's left
  9. face — to confront
  10. game — a match
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. scale — in music
  15. cue — a hint
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. date — the fruit
  18. scale — size or range
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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