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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cue — a hint
  4. land — a country
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. game — wild animals
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cue — for pool
  17. land — ground
  18. deal — to handle
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. cue — a signal
  22. game — a match
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. land — to come down

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