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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: bay · pop · cue · cell · pound · lie · chest · object

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. chest — a box
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. cue — a signal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cue — a hint
  8. object — an aim
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cue — for pool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pound — to hit hard

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