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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. plane — a tool
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. chair — a leader
  18. game — wild animals
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cell — a phone
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. game — a match

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