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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: present · cell · mouse · chest · race · cue · jam · band

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. present — the time now
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. race — the arms race
  11. chest — a box
  12. band — a ring
  13. cell — a phone
  14. race — a contest
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cue — for pool
  20. present — there
  21. race — humankind
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cue — a hint
  24. band — a music group

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