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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 116 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. deal — to handle
  6. file — a tool
  7. mate — to breed
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. face — part of the head
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. face — to confront
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a document
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wind — moving air
  24. face — to point toward

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