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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: rest · cue · pitcher · cell · bass · arm · face · bay

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rest — a break
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cue — for pool
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cue — a hint
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cell — in biology
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. face — to confront
  22. rest — what's left
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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