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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. cue — a signal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cue — for pool
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. pop — music
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. degree — temperature
  13. court — of a king
  14. pop — soda
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rule — a law
  17. court — of law
  18. rule — government
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pop — to visit
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cue — a hint
  23. court — for sport
  24. chest — of your body

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