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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · chip · cap · content · face · staff · cue · temple

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — of law
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. content — happy
  7. chip — to eat
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. face — to point toward
  10. staff — a stick
  11. content — the amount
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. court — for sport
  14. cue — for pool
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cue — a hint
  17. staff — employees
  18. court — of a king
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. face — to confront
  22. chip — for betting
  23. staff — employees
  24. face — part of the head

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