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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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. tear — to rip
  4. game — a match
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pit — in a race
  7. kick — in football
  8. tear — from crying
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. content — happy
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. cell — in biology
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cue — for pool
  20. content — the amount
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pit — a hole
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. game — wild animals

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