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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 120 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: swing · cue · stick · chest · object · leaves · arm · game

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. chest — of your body
  3. swing — music
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. game — a match
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. swing — to play on
  9. game — wild animals
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. chest — a box
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cue — for pool
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cue — a signal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. swing — in golf
  24. object — a thing

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