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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cue — for pool
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cue — a signal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pit — a hole
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pit — in a race
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. staff — a stick
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. staff — employees
  17. chest — of your body
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chest — a box

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