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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cue — a hint
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bear — the animal
  5. squash — the sport
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bear — the animal
  12. kid — child
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bank — of a river
  18. kid — to tease
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wake — a trail
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bank — for money
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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