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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: kid · cue · roll · chest · rest · bear · leaves · dip

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bear — the animal
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. dip — to sink
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rest — a break
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. roll — a list
  17. cue — a hint
  18. kid — to tease
  19. chest — of your body
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. chest — a box
  22. kid — child
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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