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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 120 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. drill — army training
  3. suit — to fit
  4. cue — a signal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bass — the fish
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bass — low music
  11. suit — in cards
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cue — for pool
  14. suit — clothes
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. drill — a practice
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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