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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: arm · cue · face · cell · pitcher · mine · suit · kid

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cue — a signal
  7. suit — clothes
  8. suit — in cards
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. kid — to tease
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mine — for digging
  17. suit — to fit
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. face — to confront
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. face — to point toward

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