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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: straw · band · rest · arm · cell · chip · cue · rush

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cue — for pool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cue — a hint
  10. band — a ring
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. chip — for betting
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. cue — a signal
  23. band — a music group
  24. rest — a break

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