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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. face — to point toward
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. stem — to come from
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. face — to confront
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cue — for pool
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. ball — a great time
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. face — part of the head
  24. kick — in football

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