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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bound — obliged
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. tube — a container
  10. root — of a word
  11. race — a contest
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. root — the cause
  15. plane — a tool
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bound — certain
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wake — a trail
  24. tube — the underground

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