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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. kid — child
  4. key — in music
  5. kid — to tease
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cue — for pool
  11. key — the most important part
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. chest — a box
  15. rash — a series
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cue — a hint
  18. rash — hasty

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