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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: pitcher · bound · charge · racket · chest · pop · prune · cue

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pop — to visit
  3. chest — of your body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pop — music
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chest — a box
  14. charge — a price
  15. pop — soda
  16. bound — certain
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. charge — in control
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cue — for pool
  24. prune — the fruit

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