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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. row — a line
  4. chest — a box
  5. rash — hasty
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cue — for pool
  8. object — a thing
  9. cue — a signal
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. court — of a king
  14. cue — a hint
  15. court — of law
  16. chest — of your body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rash — a series
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. court — for sport
  24. hand — help

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