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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. swing — in golf
  4. cue — a hint
  5. row — to paddle
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. game — a match
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cold — an illness
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. swing — music
  13. cue — for pool
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. row — a line
  19. cold — not warm
  20. hand — help
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cue — a signal
  24. game — wild animals

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