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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. band — a music group
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cue — for pool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mate — a partner
  7. chest — a box
  8. mate — to breed
  9. track — a path
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ball — a dance
  13. last — to go on
  14. ball — a great time
  15. chest — of your body
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. last — final
  18. mate — a friend
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. last — finally
  21. band — a ring
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  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