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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cue — a hint
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. root — of a word
  7. cue — for pool
  8. face — part of the head
  9. last — final
  10. ball — a dance
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. branch — a division
  14. squash — the sport
  15. face — to confront
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. ball — a great time
  19. last — to go on
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. squash — to crush
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cue — a signal

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