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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: pit · cue · hand · temple · land · arm · game · snap

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. land — to come down
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. land — a country
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cue — a signal
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. game — a match
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pit — in a race
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pit — a hole
  21. game — wild animals
  22. snap — to click
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. land — ground

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