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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 120 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. staff — employees
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. club — for golf
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chest — a box
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. cell — in biology
  19. chest — of your body
  20. club — a group
  21. cue — a hint
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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