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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: stick · chest · cue · fan · wind · rest · net · last

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. last — finally
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. chest — a box
  5. last — to go on
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. net — for catching
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. last — final
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. net — in sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. net — after costs
  24. cue — a hint

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