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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: stick · game · chair · cue · snap · chip · face · deal

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. chip — for betting
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. deal — to handle
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chip — to eat
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cue — for pool
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cue — a hint
  17. face — part of the head
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cue — a signal

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