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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. cue — a signal
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. hand — help
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. hand — in cards
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. pound — a weight
  18. race — humankind
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. cue — a hint

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