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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cue — for pool
  3. staff — employees
  4. mark — a trace
  5. staff — a stick
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mark — a grade
  9. tube — a container
  10. cue — a hint
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cue — a signal
  13. court — of law
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. game — a match
  19. chest — a box
  20. row — a line
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. court — of a king
  23. tube — the underground
  24. court — for sport

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