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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cue — a signal
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cue — a hint
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. net — in sport
  9. season — in sport
  10. kid — to tease
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. band — a ring
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. net — for catching
  17. season — of the year
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. net — after costs
  20. band — a music group
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. jam — in traffic

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