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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 124 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spell — magic
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cap — of ice
  7. spell — letters
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. land — ground
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rash — a series
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cap — a hat
  19. land — to come down
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rash — hasty
  24. land — a country

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