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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 quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chest — a box
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cue — for pool
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. toast — bread
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bat — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cue — a hint
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bat — in an idiom

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