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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mug — to rob
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mug — a face
  5. cue — for pool
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cue — a hint
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bore — to tire
  19. net — for catching
  20. wound — an injury
  21. kid — to tease
  22. net — in sport
  23. kid — child
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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