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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chest — a box
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cue — for pool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. band — a ring
  16. ball — a great time
  17. land — to come down
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ball — a dance
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cue — a hint
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. land — ground
  24. chest — of your 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