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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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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 · chip · fall · sharp · key · mark · cue · hide

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cue — for pool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. sharp — clever
  8. chest — a box
  9. key — the most important part
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cue — a hint
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — in music
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mark — a grade
  24. fall — the season

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