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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. net — in sport
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cue — for pool
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. hand — in cards
  16. net — after costs
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. band — a ring
  19. net — for catching
  20. hand — help
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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