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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 · mate · lean · roll · chair · dip · cabinet · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. cue — a signal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. dip — to sink
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cue — a hint
  10. deal — to handle
  11. chair — a leader
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mate — a partner
  14. roll — a list
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. lean — to bend
  19. roll — a cake
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mate — to breed
  23. lean — thin
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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