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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cue — a signal
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. game — a match
  6. cue — for pool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. game — wild animals
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. kid — child
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. land — to come down
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. land — ground
  18. chip — to eat
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. perch — the fish
  21. land — a country
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chip — for betting
  24. saw — the tool

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