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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: craft · cue · band · cold · hand · leaves · deal · game

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cue — a hint
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. band — a music group
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cold — not warm
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cue — a signal
  14. hand — in cards
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hand — help
  22. craft — boats
  23. deal — to handle
  24. band — a ring

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