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

Word bank: cue · ground · wind · cell · leaves · racket · chip · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cue — for pool
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cue — a hint
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ground — crushed
  9. face — to confront
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ground — a position
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chip — to eat
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ground — the earth
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cue — a signal
  24. leaves — to go away

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