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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: content · cue · mouse · chest · arm · nail · bat · rock

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rock — music
  4. chest — a box
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cue — a signal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cue — a hint
  14. content — the amount
  15. bat — the animal
  16. content — happy
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cue — for pool
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. arm — part of the body

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