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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: cue · arm · mine · press · foot · stick · chest · rule

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rule — a law
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — government
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cue — a signal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. press — to push
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  24. press — a publisher

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