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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: cue · degree · chest · board · lash · wound · firm · mine

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. mine — for digging
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. firm — decided
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cue — a signal
  9. firm — a company
  10. degree — an amount
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. chest — a box
  14. board — to get on
  15. chest — of your body
  16. firm — steady
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wound — an injury
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  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