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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 120 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: dip · last · cue · game · hide · straw · face · spell

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. game — a match
  2. last — to go on
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cue — for pool
  7. spell — letters
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. spell — magic
  10. last — final
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. face — to confront
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cue — a signal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cue — a hint
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. game — wild animals
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. spell — a short time
  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