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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: cell · chest · foot · rest · cue · kick · mate · leaves

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. rest — a break
  3. mate — a partner
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. cue — a hint
  6. kick — in football
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cell — in biology
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mate — to breed
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mate — a friend
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chest — a box
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cell — a phone

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