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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 · rest · court · mate · face · chip · leaves · clip

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cue — a hint
  8. court — for sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chip — for betting
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. face — part of the head
  14. clip — a video
  15. cue — a signal
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. face — to point toward
  18. clip — for paper
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. clip — to cut
  21. court — of a king
  22. face — to confront
  23. mate — to breed
  24. leaves — of a tree

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