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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. staff — a stick
  5. club — for dancing
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. perch — the fish
  9. club — for golf
  10. deal — to handle
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cue — a signal
  13. land — a country
  14. club — a group
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. staff — employees
  17. land — to come down
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. staff — employees
  21. land — ground
  22. fall — to drop
  23. game — a match
  24. cue — for pool

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