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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pit — a hole
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. kick — in football
  11. cap — of ice
  12. chest — a box
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cap — a lid
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pit — in a race
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. spell — magic
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. spell — letters
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. chest — of your body

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