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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: stick · mouse · key · cue · cell · chest · clip · present

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. clip — a video
  3. present — there
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. present — the time now
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. clip — to cut
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cue — a hint
  15. clip — for paper
  16. key — in music
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cell — in biology
  21. key — for a lock
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. present — a gift

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