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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: suit · fork · cue · branch · ball · cold · game · face

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. suit — to fit
  7. face — to confront
  8. branch — a division
  9. fork — in a road
  10. ball — a dance
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. game — a match
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. cold — an illness
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. face — to point toward
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cold — not warm
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. suit — in cards
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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