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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: charge · cue · stick · foot · mate · tear · wound · arm

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. charge — a price
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cue — a hint
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cue — for pool
  11. foot — a measure
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. mate — a friend
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. charge — in control
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. charge — electricity
  23. arm — part of the body
  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