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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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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: spell · rush · chip · rash · clip · face · cell · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. face — part of the head
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cue — a signal
  7. rash — hasty
  8. spell — magic
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. face — to confront
  11. clip — a video
  12. cell — a phone
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rash — a series
  19. face — to point toward
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. spell — letters
  24. cue — a hint

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