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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. plane — a tool
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cue — a signal
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. land — to come down
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cue — for pool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. land — a country
  16. cue — a hint
  17. chest — a box
  18. land — ground

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