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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cue — a signal
  4. court — of law
  5. cue — for pool
  6. hand — in cards
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. fall — the season
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. deal — to handle
  12. hand — help
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. court — for sport
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. court — of a king
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. leaves — lets stay

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