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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 120 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: pop · arm · chest · can · last · file · ground · cue

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cue — a hint
  3. file — a tool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pop — music
  6. can — to be able to
  7. ground — a position
  8. last — final
  9. file — a line of people
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pop — to visit
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. can — a tin
  16. pop — soda
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. file — a document
  20. ground — crushed
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ground — the earth

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