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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. deal — to handle
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cue — a hint
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. spell — magic
  10. cell — in biology
  11. game — a match
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tube — the underground
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. tube — a container
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spell — letters

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