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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: cell · chest · foot · rest · cue · kick

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cue — a signal
  4. foot — a measure
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cell — in biology
  9. chest — a box
  10. cue — for pool
  11. kick — in football
  12. chest — of your body
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rest — a break
  16. chest — of your body
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cell — a phone

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