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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. chest — a box
  4. cue — for pool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cue — a signal
  7. date — the fruit
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ground — a position
  23. snap — to click
  24. trunk — of a car

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