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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 120 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. game — a match
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cue — a signal
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chip — to eat
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. rest — a break
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bark — to shout
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. march — the month
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. march — the month
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. march — music
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bark — of a tree

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