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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: ball · cue · rest · chest · fan · fall · track · plane

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cue — a signal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. track — a song
  8. rest — a break
  9. chest — of your body
  10. track — a path
  11. fall — the season
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. track — to keep track
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rest — what's left
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chest — a box
  23. fall — to drop
  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