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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: hide · suit · staff · club · cold · cue · arm · chest

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. suit — clothes
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. staff — a stick
  6. club — for dancing
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. staff — employees
  9. suit — to fit
  10. cue — a signal
  11. suit — in cards
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. club — for golf
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chest — a box
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cold — not warm
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cold — an illness
  22. staff — employees
  23. cue — for pool
  24. club — a group

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