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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. game — wild animals
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mate — a partner
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. mate — a friend
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cue — for pool
  14. game — a match
  15. cue — a signal
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rock — music
  20. squash — to crush
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. lean — thin
  24. rock — to move gently

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