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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: deal · rock · cue · chair · pit · squash · rule · game

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. game — a match
  3. rock — a stone
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cue — a hint
  20. deal — to handle
  21. squash — to crush
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rock — music
  24. rule — a law

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