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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. cue — for pool
  3. kid — to tease
  4. squash — the sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. squash — to crush
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. chest — of your body
  9. roll — a cake
  10. charge — a price
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. saw — the tool
  13. track — a song
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. charge — in control
  16. chest — of your body
  17. track — a path
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. cue — a signal
  20. roll — a list
  21. kid — child
  22. cue — a hint
  23. track — to keep track
  24. charge — electricity

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