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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cue — for pool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cue — a signal
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ground — crushed
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — in control
  13. ground — a position
  14. band — a ring
  15. charge — a price
  16. rest — what's left
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rest — a break
  19. ground — the earth
  20. band — a music group
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  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