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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. game — a match
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chest — a box
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rash — a series
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cue — for pool
  14. lean — thin
  15. net — after costs
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rash — hasty
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. net — in sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. net — for catching
  24. cue — a hint

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