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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 · chest · toast · game · squash · dip · stick · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. cue — a signal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. chest — a box
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. game — a match
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. toast — bread
  21. squash — to crush
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. game — wild animals
  24. dip — to dunk

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