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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: rest · snap · chest · dip · cue · capital · mouse · rock

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rock — music
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rock — a stone
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. capital — a city
  15. snap — to click
  16. chest — a box
  17. capital — money
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rest — a break
  20. dip — to sink
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cue — for pool
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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