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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pop — soda
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cue — a hint
  7. board — a committee
  8. pop — music
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cue — for pool
  13. chest — a box
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rest — a break
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cue — a signal
  18. press — to push
  19. board — to get on
  20. pop — to visit
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fork — in a road

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