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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 120 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cue — a signal
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cue — for pool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kid — child
  10. land — a country
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. race — a contest
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. land — to come down
  18. race — humankind
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. land — ground
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cue — a hint

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