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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. staff — employees
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. tear — to rip
  6. march — the month
  7. chest — of your body
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. scale — in music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cue — a hint
  14. chest — of your body
  15. march — music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pound — a weight
  18. staff — a stick
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — employees
  23. cue — a signal
  24. tear — from crying

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