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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rest — what's left
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. hand — in cards
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cue — a hint
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cue — for pool
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rest — a break
  19. scale — in music
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cell — in biology
  23. hand — help
  24. scale — size or range

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