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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. firm — steady
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cue — for pool
  5. game — wild animals
  6. clip — a video
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cue — a signal
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. degree — from a university
  11. game — a match
  12. degree — temperature
  13. firm — decided
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. firm — a company
  23. cue — a hint
  24. branch — a division

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