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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. cue — a signal
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rest — a break
  17. snap — to click
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. chest — a box
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bowl — a dish

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