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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rest — a break
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bat — the animal
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. kid — child
  14. cue — a hint
  15. stem — to come from
  16. key — the most important part
  17. tube — the underground
  18. key — in music
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tube — a container
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pound — a weight

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