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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cap — a lid
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. cue — a signal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cue — a hint
  13. land — a country
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. land — to come down
  18. season — in sport
  19. land — ground
  20. season — of the year
  21. chair — a leader
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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