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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — for pool
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. chest — of your body
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rule — a law
  10. band — a ring
  11. chest — a box
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. sharp — clever
  14. band — a music group
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. chest — of your body
  19. hand — help
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rule — government
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — completely

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