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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. net — after costs
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. face — part of the head
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bass — low music
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. net — in sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cue — for pool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. net — for catching
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. face — to confront
  24. chip — for betting

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