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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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Word bank
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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: race · chest · fine · staff · spell · lie · cue · chair

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fine — high quality
  3. staff — employees
  4. race — the arms race
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cue — a hint
  7. spell — letters
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cue — a signal
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cue — for pool
  14. staff — employees
  15. chest — a box
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fine — all right
  20. chest — of your body
  21. race — humankind
  22. spell — magic
  23. race — a contest
  24. staff — a stick

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