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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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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 · stand · cabinet · perch · pound · chest · kick · land

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. cue — a signal
  7. land — to come down
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stand — to bear
  10. chest — of your body
  11. land — a country
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chest — a box
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. land — ground
  22. cue — a hint
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kick — in football

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