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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. pass — a permit
  5. wound — an injury
  6. roll — a list
  7. chest — of your body
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chest — a box
  10. roll — a cake
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. ball — a great time
  18. season — in sport
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. season — of the year
  24. cue — a signal

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