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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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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: firm · cold · band · pitcher · racket · face · chip · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cold — not warm
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cue — a hint
  5. band — a ring
  6. firm — steady
  7. face — to confront
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. band — a music group
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chip — to eat
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. firm — decided
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. chip — for betting
  22. firm — a company
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. racket — a loud noise

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