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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: rash · chair · mate · plane · game · chip · content · cue

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. plane — a tool
  7. game — a match
  8. chip — to eat
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. content — the amount
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mate — a partner
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. content — happy
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rash — hasty
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mate — to breed
  24. chair — to sit on

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