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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: foot · bear · game · tear · firm · cue · chest · roll

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. firm — a company
  8. tear — to rip
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. chest — a box
  12. firm — steady
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. game — a match
  16. tear — from crying
  17. firm — decided
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. roll — a list
  24. tear — from crying

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