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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: pit · squash · fall · kid · cue · chest · deal · mate

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. pit — in a race
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cue — a signal
  6. squash — to crush
  7. chest — a box
  8. pit — a hole
  9. deal — to handle
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cue — for pool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mate — a partner
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cue — a hint
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mate — to breed
  24. kid — child

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