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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. drill — a practice
  4. content — the amount
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. content — happy
  7. file — a tool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. prune — to trim
  11. staff — a stick
  12. drill — the tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. file — a document
  19. drill — army training
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cue — a hint
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cue — for pool
  24. kid — child

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