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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wound — an injury
  9. hand — help
  10. cue — for pool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cue — a hint
  15. kid — to tease
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kid — child
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cue — a signal

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