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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. game — wild animals
  3. chip — to eat
  4. land — ground
  5. cue — for pool
  6. club — a group
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. land — to come down
  9. chip — for betting
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. snap — to click
  12. land — a country
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. club — for golf
  19. game — a match
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. deal — to handle
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — a signal

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