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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. season — in sport
  7. squash — the sport
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cue — for pool
  10. can — a tin
  11. game — a match
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cue — a signal
  14. chair — a leader
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. date — the fruit
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lean — thin
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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