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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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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: pop · mark · chest · game · wound · cue · foot · charge

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cue — for pool
  4. pop — soda
  5. game — a match
  6. pop — music
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mark — a trace
  9. charge — a price
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. game — wild animals
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chest — a box
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wound — an injury
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chest — of your body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. charge — in control
  24. mark — to pay attention

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