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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 · fine · chest · chair · last · content · ball · race

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fine — high quality
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. last — to go on
  11. ball — a dance
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fine — all right
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. race — the arms race
  16. last — final
  17. race — a contest
  18. content — happy
  19. chair — a leader
  20. last — finally
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cue — for pool
  23. race — humankind
  24. cue — a hint

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