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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · stem · hide · chest · cue · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. club — for dancing
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cue — a signal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cue — a hint
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cue — for pool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. club — a group
  15. chest — of your body
  16. club — for golf
  17. chest — a box
  18. pit — a hole

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