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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. court — for sport
  3. cue — for pool
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. court — of law
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cue — a signal
  19. mine — for digging
  20. dip — to sink
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. court — of a king
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. hand — part of the body

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