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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 120 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
468
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: chip · hand · spell · cue · arm · calf · band · wound

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. band — a music group
  3. cue — a signal
  4. chip — for betting
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cue — for pool
  7. chip — to eat
  8. spell — letters
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hand — in cards
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wound — an injury
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. spell — a short time
  15. band — a ring
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. hand — help
  21. spell — magic
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. arm — part of the body

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