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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cue — a signal
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. kid — to tease
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. current — happening now
  12. chip — to eat
  13. band — a ring
  14. current — of water
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mine — for digging
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lie — to recline
  22. current — electric
  23. band — a music group
  24. lie — an untruth

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