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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. roll — a list
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cap — a hat
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. swing — music
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cue — a signal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. game — a match
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. root — of a word
  21. roll — a cake
  22. root — the cause
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. root — of a plant

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