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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: racket · face · chip · last · roll · fall · cue · net

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. net — for catching
  4. last — final
  5. face — part of the head
  6. last — to go on
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. fall — the season
  11. net — in sport
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. roll — a list
  14. face — to confront
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chip — for betting
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. net — after costs
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chip — to eat
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. last — finally

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