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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: chest · cue · pitch · ball · tear · wound · arm · pop

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. chest — a box
  3. wound — an injury
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cue — a hint
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pop — music
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ball — a great time
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. cue — a signal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. chest — of your body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wound — an injury

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