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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: hand · cold · land · cue · pop · ruler · spell · deal

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. pop — music
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cue — for pool
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. land — a country
  7. spell — letters
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. land — ground
  13. cue — a hint
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. land — to come down
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. spell — magic
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. deal — to handle
  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