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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: calf · cue · object · band · bat · chest · key · cabinet

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a music group
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. object — to protest
  7. cue — a hint
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bat — the animal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cue — for pool
  17. key — in music
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. chest — a box
  21. band — a ring
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. band — a rubber band

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