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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. content — happy
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. face — to confront
  11. game — a match
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cue — a hint
  14. hand — in cards
  15. cue — for pool
  16. content — the amount
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bore — to drill
  24. content — videos and posts

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