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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chair — a leader
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cue — a hint
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cue — for pool
  11. tube — a container
  12. cap — a hat
  13. kick — in football
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cap — a lid
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pound — a weight
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. kid — child
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cap — of ice
  24. chair — a professorship

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