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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: rush · rest · hand · cue · roll · cap · wind · chip

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cue — for pool
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cue — a signal
  17. roll — a list
  18. cue — a hint
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. roll — a cake
  24. rest — what's left

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