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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: rule · wound · mine · chest · cell · toast · cue · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cue — a signal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wound — an injury
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rule — government
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. toast — bread
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rule — a law
  24. cell — in biology

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